Fundamental rights and civic activity

The Finnish Constitution guarantees everybody the freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. Under the freedom of religion, everybody has the right to practice religion and to remain outside a religious community. Finnish and Swedish are the national languages of Finland. All citizens of Finland who have reached the age of 18 by the election day have the right to vote in national, regional and local elections. Individual citizens can influence legislation by voting in the elections and by submitting citizens’ initiatives to Parliament and by collecting the required number of statements of support for the initiatives. Municipality residents can submit initiatives to their municipality or take part in grass roots democracy activities. Members of a wellbeing services county can influence the activities and services of their wellbeing services county. You can also engage in social issues by being a member of a non-governmental organisation or by doing voluntary work.