Liberals Victorious in Åland Elections

The Liberal Party won the provincial elections in the autonomous Åland Islands on Sunday, while favor shifted away from the Social Democrats. The Liberals defeated the Centre Party, and will now have 10 seats in the thirty-member Åland parliament, or "lagting." Seven political groups with 245 campaigners in all competed to have their voices heard during the next four years.

Hot topics on the campaign trail included calls to shift the right of taxation from the Finnish national government to Åland. Problems stemming from Finland's EU membership also topped the election agenda, in addition to everyday concerns of the citizenry, such as infrastructure and health care.

A new party, Ålands Framtid, or Åland's Future, which supports national independence for the province, also won seats in the parliament.

The lagting appoints the "landskapsstyrelse," which functions as Åland's government. Because of the islands' special autonomic status in Finland, the provincial government has the right to pass laws on internal matters such as the budget. This special status stems from an international treaty approved by the League of Nations in 1921 under which the Swedish-language territory is an autonomous and demilitarised province.

Education, culture, health care, environment, business promotion, police, and communication channels such as the postal service, radio and television broadcasts all fall under the rule of the Åland government, which to a great extent functions as the ruling body of an independent state.