Tie Arkadianmäelle

Overview & Synopsis

This edited volume [The Road to Parliament: Candidates’ Resources, Campaigning and Political Values in the 2023 Finnish Parliamentary Elections] offers a research-based portrait of the conditions under which parliamentary candidates set out to compete for a place at the heart of Finnish political power. It leads readers into the core of Finland’s candidate centred election system: how candidates craft their campaigns, where their support originates, which values and attitudes guide their choices, whom they believe they represent, and how today’s shifting political and technological landscape shapes their path. Intensifying social polarization, the rise of the social media era, the steady migration of campaigning into digital spaces, and the accompanying increase in electoral harassment, combined with Finland’s strongly candidate oriented electoral system, create a complex terrain in which access to financial and social resources is far from evenly distributed. Grounded in the Finnish Parliamentary Election Candidate Survey 2023, the book sheds light on candidates’ campaign priorities, social media strategies and political values, including their views on democracy. Its findings highlight the enduring strengths of Finnish democracy while also revealing early signs of developments that could, in the coming years, narrow the breadth and diversity of political representation.