Government and Constitution
Finland has been an Independent Republic since December 6, 1917, before which it was a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire.
The Finnish constitution follows the Western democracy model, with a President elected for 6-year terms (for a maximum of two terms), and a 200-member, single-chamber parliament elected every four years by direct elections and on the basis of proportional representation. At the last election (March 2007), the seats were divided as follows:
| Centre Party of Finland | 51 |
| National Coalition Party | 50 |
| Social Democratic Party of Finland | 45 |
| Left Alliance | 17 |
| The Green League | 15 |
| Swedish People's Party in Finland | 9 |
| Christian League of Finland | 7 |
| True Finns | 5 |
| Åland Island | 1 |
Government: The Government as of spring 2007 is a coalition of the Centre Party of Finland, The National Coalition Party, The Green League and the Swedish People's Party. The Prime Minister is Mr. Matti Vanhanen. 12 of the 20 ministerial posts are held by women.
President: The President is elected for a six-year term. The president for the current term (until February 28, 2012) is Ms Tarja Halonen.
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