Country: | Åland |
Previous Election: | 2011 |
Next Election: | 2019 |
Election Date: | 18 October 2015 |
Seats For Election: | All 30 seats in the Parliament of Åland |
Majority Seats: | 16 |
Turnout: | 70.39% (3.51 pp) |
Party1: | Liberals for Åland |
Leader1: | Katrin Sjögren |
Last Election1: | 6 |
Percentage1: | 23.28 |
Seats1: | 7 |
Party2: | Åland Centre |
Leader2: | Harry Jansson |
Last Election2: | 7 |
Percentage2: | 21.60 |
Seats2: | 7 |
Party3: | Moderate Coalition for Åland |
Leader3: | Johan Ehn |
Last Election3: | 4 |
Percentage3: | 17.88 |
Seats3: | 5 |
Party4: | Åland Social Democrats |
Leader4: | Camilla Gunell |
Last Election4: | 6 |
Percentage4: | 15.84 |
Seats4: | 5 |
Party5: | Non-aligned Coalition |
Leader5: | Gun-Mari Lindholm |
Last Election5: | 4 |
Percentage5: | 9.61 |
Seats5: | 3 |
Party6: | Future of Åland |
Leader6: | Axel Jonsson |
Last Election6: | 3 |
Percentage6: | 7.35 |
Seats6: | 2 |
Party7: | Ålandic Democracy |
Leader7: | Stefan Toivonen |
Last Election7: | new |
Percentage7: | 3.63 |
Seats7: | 1 |
Lantråd | |
Before Election: | Camilla Gunell |
Before Party: | Åland Social Democrats |
Before Image: | Nordiska radets session i Helsingfors (7).jpg |
After Election: | Katrin Sjögren |
After Party: | Liberals for Åland |
After Image: | Katrin Sjogren (cropped).jpg |
Legislative elections were held in Åland on 18 October 2015, alongside elections for sixteen municipal councils:[1] Mariehamn town, nine rural socken on the main island, Fasta Åland, and six skerries socken.
The 30 members of the Parliament of Åland were elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated using the d'Hondt method.[1]
Seven parties contested the legislative elections, and the municipal elections in most municipalities, although the Liberals for Åland will be the only party to contest all municipalities.
During the 2011–2015 parliamentary term the four MPs from the independent centre-right party Non-aligned Coalition (ObS) merged into the conservative Moderates to become Moderate Coalition for Åland, but the rump of ObS will contest the 2015 elections, and has taken a critical stance against Syrian refugees with a "no to refugees" campaign movie. Another anti-refugee list, the populist Ålandic Democracy, which is led by Stephan Toivonen and also supports equal rights for Finnish speakers, will also be on the ballot.
The regionalist and centrist Åland Centre has called for Åland to establish its own foreign ministry and for the Ålandic healthcare board being appointed solely by the governing coalition rather than the existing system of being proportionally divided between parties.
Other parties contesting the elections were the Åland Social Democrats, the social-liberal centre-right Liberals for Åland, the centrist and separatist Future of Åland.