Tagged: Finland

According to Petsinclude, the Republic of Finland is a parliamentary republic with a multi-party system of government. The head of state is the President, who is elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term and serves as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Executive power is held by the Council of State, which is composed of the Prime Minister and 14 other ministers appointed by the President on recommendation from Parliament. Parliament, known as Eduskunta in Finnish, consists of 200 members elected for four-year terms through a proportional representation system. The Eduskunta has exclusive control over legislation and taxation while it shares control over foreign policy with the President. Finland’s judicial system consists of district courts, appellate courts, and a Supreme Court. Judges are appointed by the President on recommendation from an independent Judicial Council. The Supreme Court hears appeals from lower courts as well as cases involving constitutional or international law matters or other matters referred to it by Parliament or other high courts. Finland has made significant progress in promoting transparency in its governance including passing anti-corruption laws that provide penalties for those found guilty of bribery or other forms of corruption in public service positions or private sector businesses. In addition, access to information laws have been passed that promote transparency within public institutions such as state agencies and local governments. However, there are still issues regarding accountability and rule of law within Finland’s government due to weak oversight mechanisms and limited enforcement capacity. In addition, human rights abuses remain an issue in Finland due to restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly as well as arbitrary detention without trial or charge that often results in torture or ill treatment. Finland is a small but highly developed nation located in the Nordic region of northern Europe. The country has a population of 5.5 million people and is bordered by Sweden, Norway and Russia. Finland is renowned for its strong commitment to democracy, social justice, human rights and environmental protection. Finland’s foreign policy is based on the principles of non-alignment, respect for international law and peaceful settlement of disputes. The country is a member of the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), World Trade Organization (WTO) and Nordic Council. Finland also has close ties with its immediate neighbors Sweden and Norway as well as other Nordic countries such as Iceland, Denmark and Greenland. Finland also maintains good relations with its eastern neighbor Russia due to historical ties dating back centuries ago when Finland was part of the Russian Empire. In recent years these ties have been strengthened through increased trade between the two countries which has seen Russian exports to Finland rise significantly. Finland also has close links with other major international powers such as the United States through shared values such as democracy, human rights and environmental protection. Both countries are members of NATO’s Partnership for Peace program which promotes defense cooperation between them. In addition to this, Finland also participates in joint military exercises with other NATO members such as Germany, France and Britain. Finland’s relations with other major powers such as China are generally positive although there are tensions due to differences in political systems and human rights records which have been criticized by some Western nations including the United States. Despite this however, Finland continues to maintain good diplomatic relations with most countries around the world including several members of the European Union (EU). See relationshipsplus for Finland defense and foreign policy.