First instance body dealing with electoral disputes

Vallag(Election Act), (published 1998-10-02, last amended 2013-06-28)

http://www.finlex.fi/sv/laki/ajantasa/1998/19980714#L8

100 ?

F?rem?l f?r besv?r

?ndring i ett beslut genom vilket valresultatet harfastst?llts f?r s?kas genom besv?r enligt vad som best?ms i detta kapitel.

Vid presidentval f?r ?ndring i beslut om fastst?llande avresultatet av det f?rsta och det andra valet inte s?kas genom besv?r.

 F?rvaltningsprocesslag (Administrative Judicial Procedure Act), (published 1996-07-26, last amended 2013-01-31)

http://www.finlex.fi/sv/laki/ajantasa/1996/19960586#L7

58 ?

Extraordin?ra r?ttsmedel

I ett lagakraftvunnet beslut i ett f?rvaltnings?rende kan ?ndring s?kas genom extraordin?ra r?ttsmedel som ?r klagan, ?terst?llande av f?rsutten fatalietid och ?terbrytande.

OSCE needs assessment report on 2012 presidential elections in Finland, p. 4

http://www.osce.org/odihr/81121

Avenues of legal redress are restricted during the presidential election. The legislation does not provide for the possibility to “lodge an appeal against decisions on the confirmation of the results of the first and second round of the Presidential election” or bring to the courts’ attention any election violations during the course of the process. The OSCE/ODIHR NAM’s interlocutors noted that the Administrative Judicial Procedure Act allows for extraordinary appeals by means of procedural complaint. Although it was never tested, some NAM interlocutors thought that election-related disputes could be appealed in this way. However, the courts’ discretion to accept the case and long deadlines undermine the right to seek legal remedy in a timely manner.

p. 2

The law specifically states that it is notpossible to make complaints regarding the first or second round of presidentialelections. Since the law also forbids complaints regardingregistration/nomination before the election results are official, this meansthat registration/nomination also cannot be appealed. The 2012 needs assessmentreport for the 2013 presidential elections suggests that article 58 of the AdministrativeJudicial Procedure Act mightopen the possibility for complaints. However, (1) this only applies to an administrative decision that hasbecome final that may be subject to extraordinary appeal by means of proceduralcomplaint, (2) it has never been tested and (3) it is up to the courts whetheror not to accept the case. For these reasons, this hypothetical possibilityshould not be equated to a real opportunity to make an appeal.