Government and Politics
Being both a regional and provincial capital, Turku is an important administrative centre, hosting the seat of the Archbishop of Finland and a Court of Appeal. Mikko Pukkinen, the former city manager of Seinäjoki, has been the city manager of Turku since 2006.
The city council and city board have long been dominated by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus/Samlingspartiet), with approximately equal representation. Currently, the council has 67 members, with 20 from Kokoomus and 15 from SDP. The other major parties in the council are the Green League (11 seats), the Left Alliance (10 seats) and the Swedish People's Party (4 seats). The current chair of the city board is Aleksi Randell from Kokoomus.
Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011 in Turku:
- National Coalition Party 23.7%
- Social Democratic Party 19.4%
- True Finns 15.8%
- Left Alliance 12.7%
- Green League 11.4%
- Swedish People's Party 5.8%
- Centre Party 4.7%
- Christian Democrats 3.1%
Read more about this topic: Turku
Famous quotes containing the words government and/or politics:
“The dignity and stability of government in all its branches, the morals of the people, and every blessing of society, depend so much upon an upright and skilful administration of justice, that the judicial power ought to be distinct from both the legislative and executive, and independent upon both, that so it may be a check upon both, as both should be checks upon that.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
“The trouble with Nixon is that he’s a serious politics junkie. He’s totally hooked ... and like any other junkie, he’s a bummer to have around: especially as President.”
—Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939)