Project aims to spark immigrant interest in local elections
A new EU-financed project has been launched to encourage immigrants to take part in local elections.
A number of training sessions will be held this autumn to explain the decision-making process in Finnish municipalities. Civil activism has been shown to play a key role in integration. The first session was held in Helsinki on Tuesday.
The project, known as SOLID, is aimed at raising voter turnout among immigrants. Only about one fifth of immigrants in Finland usually vote, while in Sweden and Norway the corresponding figure is 60 percent.
Municipal elections will be held on October 28th. Any adult who has lived in a Finnish municipality for at least two years is eligible to vote or run for local office.
The ministries of Justice and the Interior are taking part in the project, as are the European Migration Network, the Finnish Refugee Council and other NGOs.
SOLID is being coordinated by the Helsinki-based multicultural NGO Moniheli.
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