How do people choose whom to vote for?
In municipal elections, voters prioritise the individual candidate first, with the political party they represent coming second.
That's according to a survey by the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities, which found that for 88 percent of respondents, the individual candidate is the most important factor in their voting decision, while 68 percent consider the party a significant aspect.
The importance of political parties has grown since the early 2000s. At the turn of the millennium, only about half of voters viewed the party as a key factor, reports Maaseudun Tulevaisuus.
The All Points North podcast heard why an increasing number of foreigners in Finland are engaging with Finnish politics. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Alko closes shops
Alcohol use in Finland has steadily decreased since 2007, although it was still found three years ago to be the biggest cause of preventable deaths in 15 welfare regions across the country.
The state-owned alcohol chain Alko is closing nine stores in Finland, including two in central Helsinki, according to Hufvudstadsbladet.
Alko said the decision was a result of a "review of customer flows".
Since grocery stores were granted the right to sell wines with up to eight percent alcohol last year, Alko's sales have been in steady decline. Although alcohol consumption is decreasing in Finland, many people are still losing years off their lives because of alcohol abuse.
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Old Finnish marks
The Finnish mark was Finland's currency from 1860 until 2002, when it switched over to euros.
If you have old Finnish marks lying around, you can no longer exchange them for euros at banks. But how can you tell if they have any collector's value?
According to Marko Manninen of the Finnish numismatic association, the value of old markka coins today ranges from absolutely nothing to as much as 64,000 euros.
But generally, anything less than a hundred years old holds little value.
The highest collectible value is found in money made before Finland's independence in 1917. This is especially true for coins. Manninen told Verkkouutiset how one old Finnish coin fetched 53,000 euros at auction. It was a two-mark coin from 1867, and its high price was due to its rarity.
The Bank of Finland accepted markka banknotes printed after 1963 until 2012, at which time 100-mark bills were worth 17 euros.
"Today, no one would pay that price for a worn-out note. Nowadays, it would fetch at most five euros, meaning it has lost its nominal value," Manninen explained.
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