Constitutional Text: Finland 1919, Amendments 1930,1934,1937,1944, 1947 and 1948 in Europe

1930 AMENDMENT TO FINLAND’S CONSTITUTION OF 1919
NOVEMBER 18, 1930
Number 337
Act on Amending 7 § of the Procedures of Parliament
Given in Helsinki the 18th day of November 1930
According to a decision of Parliament, which has been made in the
manner prescribed in 67§ of the Procedures of Parliament given the
13th day of January 1928, the aforementioned 7 § of the Procedures
of Parliament is amended as follows:
7 §
Everyone, who has the right to vote, is eligible to be elected a
Representative, without consideration for place of residence.
One not eligible to be elected as Representative is one who belongs
to such a society, organization, or other combination that acts
toward the violent overthrow of Finland’s state or social order or
seeks to promote or to support such acts directly or indirectly, or
who during the immediately preceding three years has worked for
the benefit of such combination or in another way has promoted
activities targeted at the said intent.
In Helsinki the 18th day of November 1930.
The President of the Republic
Lauri KR. Relander
Minister of Justice Karl Söderholm.

1934 AMENDMENT TO FINLAND’S CONSTITUTION OF
1919
MAY 25, 1934
Number 240
Act on Amending 7 and 13 § of the Procedures of Parliament
Given in Helsinki the 25th day of May 1934
According to a decision of Parliament, which has been made in the
manner prescribed in 67§ of the Procedures of Parliament given the
13th day of January 1928, the aforementioned 7 and 13 § of the
Procedures of Parliament are amended, of which 7 § as it is given in
the law given the 18th day of November 1930, as follows:
7 §
Everyone, who has the right to vote, is eligible to be elected a
Representative, without consideration for place of residence.
One who has been sentenced to a punishment for high treason,
participation in such a crime or preparing or attempting such a
crime, shall be, however, ineligible to be elected Representative
until the end of the sixth calendar year when he or she has fully
suffered the punishment or the other punitive consequences
relating to it. Similarly, one who is accused of a crime mentioned in
this paragraph or against whom the appropriate prosecutor has
sent an indictment to court for charges of such a crime, is ineligible
for election.
13 §
A representative shall not be accused of a crime nor be deprived of
liberty for his or her opinions expressed in Parliament or in
handling another issue, unless the Parliament has supported it by a
decision, which at least five sixths or, when it is a crime mentioned
in paragraph 2 of 7 §, a majority of cast votes have supported it in a
vote.
This act comes into force the 1st day of July 1934.
In Helsinki the 25th day of May 1934.
The President of the Republic
P. E. Svinhufvud
Minister of Justice Eric J Serlachius

1937 AMENDMENT TO FINLAND’S CONSTITUTION OF 1919 MAY 31, 1937
Number 249
Act on Amending the Heading of Chapter 6 of the Procedures of
Parliament and on Adding 83 a § to the Procedures of
Parliament
Given in Helsinki the 31st day of May 1937
According to a decision of Parliament, which has been done in the
manner prescribed in 67 § of the Procedures of Parliament, the
heading of Chapter 6 of the Procedures of Parliament is amended
and a new 83 a § is added to the Procedures of Parliament as
follows:
Chapter 6
Measures Concerning the Bank of Finland and the Social Insurance
Institution
83a §
The Parliament shall appoint twelve commissioners and provide
them guidance to monitor the administration and functioning of the
Social Insurance Institution.
The commissioners are chosen each time during the first regular
session of Parliament after elections for Representatives. The
commissioners’ term of office begins as soon as the election has
been completed and lasts until the Parliament has conducted a new
election. Two alternates shall be chosen for each commissioner.

1944 AMENDMENTS TO FINLAND’S CONSTITUTION OF 1919 APRIL 21, NOVEMBER 3, AND NOVEMBER 24, 1944
Number 258
Act on a Temporary Amendment to 54 § to the Finnish
Constitution
Given in Helsinki on the 21st Day of April 1944
According to a decision of Parliament, which has been made in the
manner prescribed in 67 § of the Procedures of Parliament, 54 § of
the Finnish Constitution is temporarily changed as follows:
54 §
The Supreme Court shall have a president and a sufficient number
of justices.
The matters for administering justice, which according to special
rules shall be handled by the Supreme Court, shall be prepared in
that ministry of the Council of State, to which the matters
concerning the administration of justice are given. The head of this
ministry shall be present in the Supreme Court when it is being
handled. When the head of the ministry has reported himself or
herself as unable to appear in the Supreme Court, the matter can
however be handled in spite of his or her absence and without his
or her participation in the resolution of the matter, if he or she has
made a presentation on the matter to the Supreme Court or given a
report about it.
The Supreme Court requires a quorum of Five Members unless for
judgment of specific matters another smaller or greater number has
been provided by law.

This law is in effect until the end of 1945.
In Helsinki the 21st day of April 1944.
The President of the Republic
Risto Ryti
Minister of Justice Oskari Lehtonen
Number 771
Act on Amending the Procedures of Parliament
Given in Helsinki on the 3rd Day of November 1944
According to a decision of Parliament, which has been made in the
manner prescribed in 67 § of the Procedures of Parliament, 7 § and
13 § of the Procedures of Parliament are amended as follows:
7 §
Regardless of place of residence, everyone with the right to vote is
eligible for election as a Representative.
13 §
A Representative may not be charged with a crime nor deprived of
his or her freedom because of his or her opinions expressed in
Parliament or because of other procedures he or she observed while
handling a matter unless the Parliament has agreed to it by a
decision which has passed with at least five sixths of votes cast.

This Act shall come into force immediately and shall be applied so
that the former members of the Parliament that is now gathered,
whose duties as representative have ceased due to the rules of 7 §
and 8 § of the Procedures of Parliament, as the former mentioned
section before it was, shall be restored to their duties and the
Representatives that came to fill their positions shall vacate their
respective offices. If such a substitute, however, would be most
nearly entitled to become a representative according to the rule
published in 67 § of the law given about elections for
Representative, in place of someone who vacated the duties as
Representative for some other reason, may he or she be given a
letter of appointment for the office and may the other letter of
appointment for the other be cancelled.
In Helsinki the 3rd day of November 1944.
The President of the Republic
Mannerheim
Minister of Justice Ernst von Born
Number 839
Act on Amending the Procedures of Parliament
Given in Helsinki on the 24th Day of November 1944
According to a decision of Parliament, which has been made in the
manner prescribed in 67 § of the Procedures of Parliament, 6 § and
7 § of the Procedures of Parliament, the latter as it was in the law
given the 3rd day of November 1944, are amended as follows:
Chapter 1
General Criteria

6 §
Every Finnish citizen, both man and woman, who has turned 21
years old, has the right to vote.
Those, however, without the right to vote are:
1) Anyone under guardianship
2) A Finnish citizen not registered in this country for the
previous three years
3) An individual ordered to the Labor Service or forced labor
due to vagrancy until the end of the third year after exiting
the Labor Service or forced labor.
4) Anyone judged to lose his or her right to vote or to be
without the public trust or declared unfit for state service or
to represent another’s interests, regardless of whether the
judgment is final or not; as well as
5) An individual proven guilty of buying or selling votes in an
election for Representative or of trying to do so or who has
voted in more than one place or has disturbed the freedom of
election by violence or threat, until the end of the sixth
calendar year after the final judgment was given in the matter.
7 §
Regardless of place of residence, everyone with the right to vote is
eligible for election as a Representative.
An individual in the standing army, however, cannot be elected as a
Representative.

1947 AMENDMENT TO FINLAND’S CONSTITUTION OF 1919 JULY 30, 1947
No 539
On Amending 90 § of the Finnish Constitution
Given in Helsinki the 30th Day of June 1947
According to a decision of Parliament, which has been done in the
manner prescribed in 67 § of the Procedures of Parliament, 90 § of
the Finnish Constitution as given the 17th day of July 1919 is
amended as follows:
90 §
Special rules are in force for the manner of filling the offices of a
university, the Helsinki University of Technology, the Evangelical-
Lutheran Church and the Orthodox Church, city mayors and city
council members, and the Bank of Finland.
The President shall name the officers of the Army and Navy. Other
military promotions and training matters shall be regulated
separately.
In Helsinki the 30th day of June 1947.
The President of the Republic
J. K. Paasikivi
Minister of Commerce and Industry Uuno Takki

1948 AMENDMENTS TO FINLAND’S CONSTITUTION OF 1919 AUGUST 20 AND NOVEMBER 5, 1948
Number 619
Act
On Amending 16 § of the Procedures of Parliament
Given in Helsinki on the 20th day of August 1948
According to a decision of Parliament, which has been made in the
manner prescribed in 67 § of the Procedures of Parliament, a new
Paragraph 4 is added to 16 § of the Procedures of Parliament as
follows:
16 §
The right of a Representative to a pension shall be provided by an
act.
This law comes into force on the 1st day of September 1948.
In Helsinki the 20th day of August 1948.
The President of the Republic
J.K. Paasikivi
Minister of Justice Tauno Suontausta

Number 626
Act
On Amending the Heading of Chapter 6 of the Procedures of
Parliament as well as adding 83 b § to the Procedures of Parliament.
Given in Helsinki the 20th day of August 1948
According to a decision of Parliament, which has been made in the
manner prescribed in 67 § of the Procedures of Parliament, the
heading of Chapter 6 of the Procedures of Parliament is amended
and a new 83 b § is added to the Procedures of Parliament as
follows:
Chapter 6
Measures concerning the Bank of Finland and the Social Security
Institute as well as the Library of Parliament
83 b §
The Library of Parliament shall be regulated by law, which library is
a public institution under the care and oversight of Parliament and
for which the Parliament shall pass regulations.
In Helsinki the 20th day of August 1948
The President of the Republic
J.K. Paasikivi
Prime Minister K.A. Fagerholm

Number 775
Act
On Amending 37 § of the Procedures of Parliament
Given in Helsinki the 5th day of November 1948
According to a decision of Parliament, which has been done in the
manner prescribed in 67 § of the Procedures of Parliament,
Paragraph 1 of 37 § of the Procedures of Parliament is amended as
follows:
37 §
If a representative desires to ask a question of a member of the
Council of State, which question must be answered, regarding a
matter belonging to the portfolio of the member, may he or she
give the question in writing and exact in its contents to the Speaker,
who shall bring it to the knowledge of the member of the Council of
State. At the time agreed upon with the Speaker, the member of
the Council of State gives an oral or written answer within thirty
days of receiving the question, unless he or she sees fit that an
answer must not be given due to the quality of the matter, in which
case the reasons for this must be reported to the Parliament in the
same time period. May this type of matter not be discussed in
Parliament nor may a decision be made.
In Helsinki the 5th day of November 1948
The President of the Republic
J.K. Paasikivi
Minister of Justice Tauno Suontausta