21.02.2025
Announcement: ISYY's Municipal and County Election Programmes are published!
The Municipal and County Programmes of the Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY) for the years 2025-2028 have now been published. Kuopio’s programme was created in cooperation with the Student Union of Humak University of Applied Sciences (HUMAKO), and Joensuu’s programme with the Student Union of Karelia University of Applied Sciences (POKA). The programmes are goal-oriented documents that present important perspectives raised by students on the development of Kuopio and Joensuu as campus towns.
What are the municipal and county elections?
Municipal and county elections are important elections for all citizens, including students. These elections are the form of democracy that is closest to us, as the elections determine the decision-makers who make decisions about our everyday lives. You will therefore have a concrete opportunity to influence, when you exercise your right to vote!
In the county elections, voters will elect representatives for county councils that decide on the organization and provision of health and social services and rescue services in wellbeing services counties. In municipal elections, voters will elect representatives for municipal councils that decide on the activities and finances of municipalities.
The municipal and county elections will be held simultaneously in Kuopio and Joensuu as follows:
- Election Day: 13 April 2025
- Advance Voting in Finland: 2–8 April 2025
The goals of the municipal and county programme of ISYY and HUMAKO in Kuopio
- Student well-being and environment: Investing in green areas, accessible and reachable sports and hobby opportunities, as well as increasing student-priced cultural and hobby activities.
- Social and healthcare services: Providing free contraception and counseling to all residents under 29 in the wellbeing services county, maintaining the treatment time guarantee, and reducing waiting lists, particularly for mental health services. Ensuring access to medical specialists services and facilitating the movement between FSHS and wellbeing services county services, including clarifying the pathways in health and social care.
- Safe and functional infrastructure: Developing accessible, functional and carbon-free infrastructure. Further develop the public transport network by adding trips during late hours and weekends. Investing in sustainable mobility by increasing bike parking, as well as bike- and pedestrian paths, with which are also well maintained during winter. Offering a 50 % student and youth discount on public transport tickets.
- Student participation and employment: Increasing students’ job and career opportunities, as well as the number of research. Promoting employment opportunities for international students and ensuring bilingual communication in marketing.
- Sustainable development: Halve the amount of food waste and increasing the availability of vegetarian food and local products in municipal food services. Increasing environmental and sustainability education, as well as focusing on environmentally conscious communication. Sharing open data on the carbon footprint with residents of Kuopio.
- Cultural services: Supporting cultural activities and student discounts on cultural services.
- Housing: Increasing affordable student housing to meet the growing demand, considering students' needs and good transport connections to educational institutions.
The goals of the municipal and county programme of ISYY and POKA in Joensuu
- Climate, environment, and transportation: Developing biodiversity and the livability of the urban environment, halving the amount of food waste, and improving the level of public transport services. Reducing the student fare for public transportation and increasing bus services during evening and night hours. Ensuring accessible, safe, and well-maintained bike and pedestrian paths.
- Employment: Supporting employment and internship opportunities, especially for international students. Making employment and internship opportunities visible to all students. Developing effective support services for international students to support their employability. Encouraging youth entrepreneurship.
- Well-being and health: Upholding the treatment time guarantee and investing in social and healthcare services in all its areas. The wellbeing services county must promote sexual and reproductive health by offering free contraception to all Joensuu residents under 29. Through the collaboration of the wellbeing services county and FSHS, access to health and social services should be smoother and clearer.
- Cultural services: Offering affordable and diverse cultural services and spaces that consider diversity, accessibility, and inclusivity. Communicating about services in Finnish and English. Offering more extensive student discounts and supporting students’ cultural activities.
- Housing: Increasing new and affordable student housing, as well as renovating older buildings to meet current standards and the growing demand. Providing emergency housing for students at the start of the academic year through the city and Elli, and ensuring that Joensuu remains a pleasant and attractive place to live.
You can find the Municipal and County programmes for Kuopio and Joensuu in Finnish on the Documents page of our website > Documents > Plans and Programmes.
Read more:
Joensuun kuntapoliittinen ohjelma 2025-2028 (FI), pdf
Kuopion kuntapoliittinen ohjelma 2025-2028 (FI), pdf
