Residents of Helsinki will not vote in Finland's historic first-ever regional elections, scheduled to be held later this month.
This is because the city of Helsinki is not one of the newly-formed 'wellbeing services counties', which are being created as part of the reform of social and healthcare services (also known as 'sote').
Under the terms of this reform, the City of Helsinki was granted special permission to continue to arrange and provide social, healthcare and emergency services in the capital region.
The agreement followed heated debate over how the services should be organised in Helsinki, with the city's former mayor Jan Vapaavuori strongly criticising the entire 'Sote' reform and demanding that it be scrapped.
Although Helsinki residents cannot vote for any candidates in the capital, advance voting will be arranged for those entitled to vote in other welfare areas.
Check out our really simple guide to the election here. This article also explains the key topics in seven different languages, including English.
NCP-led city council at the helm
Therefore, Helsinki city council will continue to decide on how social, healthcare and emergency services are organised in the capital.
At the municipal elections in June, the National Coalition Party (NCP) retained its place as the largest party in Helsinki, with the Greens as the second most popular.
Although all decisions on the provision of these services will be voted on by the city council, the municipal committees also play an essential role.
In Helsinki, the most important decisions affecting the social services sector will be discussed and prepared by the Social and Healthcare Committee, while the Emergency Services Committee will have responsibility for the emergency services sector.
Regional, municipal elections held at same time from 2025
The historic Sote reform led to the establishment of 21 welfare regions (or 'wellbeing services counties'), and the regional election — scheduled for 23 January — will decide the makeup of these county councils.
Each council's term of office is four years.
Although the first-ever regional elections are being held separately, the vote will be held at the same time as municipal elections from 2025 onwards.
Advance voting in Finland runs from 12 to 18 January, and from 12 to 15 January for those voting from abroad.