Citizen initiative demands dissolution of Elokapina after vandalism at Finnish Parliament House

A citizen initiative demanding the dissolution of the environmental movement Elokapina, which was involved in last week’s vandalism at the Finnish Parliament House, has gathered nearly double the number of signatures required to advance to Parliament. According to the initiative, a court should classify Elokapina as an organized criminal group and dissolve it immediately. Supporters also call for the disbandment of the organization behind Elokapina and its removal from the association register.

However, the initiative faces legal challenges. For instance, criminal law professor Sakari Melander pointed out in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat that the proposal’s suggestions conflict with the rule of law and the separation of powers, asserting that the law cannot dictate judicial decisions in an individual case.

The process for a citizen initiative is regulated by law. It must include either a proposed law or a request to initiate law drafting, along with justifications explaining the need for the law.

To proceed, the initiative requires 50,000 signatures within six months. Once the signatures are collected, the responsible person submits notifications to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, which verifies the support and confirms the accepted number of notifications. After verification, the initiative is delivered to Parliament’s central office, which must formally acknowledge its arrival.

The Speaker of Parliament has the authority to reject the consideration of the initiative if it is deemed unconstitutional or contrary to a prior decision. Past initiatives have been dismissed for various reasons, including proposals to end public discussions or to dissolve a consulate based on international agreements. Although few citizen initiatives become laws, they serve to spark public discussions.