Student Union Council Elections

The Student Union Council Elections 2025 is almost here!

Vote here! (only available during election days)

Student Union Council Elections in a nutshell

Every two years all members of the Student Union vote in the Student Union Council Elections. There, a new Student Union Council is elected for the following two calendar years, that gets to make decisions regarding the Student Union. The people elected in this election will thus lead the Student Union during the period 2026–2027.

You are eligible to vote and run as candidate if you are a member of the Student Union of Åbo Akademi University (ÅAS), which you are if you are enroled as a degree student (bachelor’s and/or master’s degree) at Åbo Akademi University. As a post-graduate student or exchange student, you can become a member by paying the Student Union membership fee. If you are unsure of whether you have the right to vote, you can check by yourself if you are included in the electoral register here.

Election compass för the Student Union’s Council Elections 2025

Here you can check which candidate is the best for you.

The election compass is provided by The National Union of University Students in Finland (FSF).

Forms

Please note that the forms are only available in Swedish!

Blankett för bildande av valförening
Förteckning över valföreningens kandidater
Kandidatblankett

What is the Student Union Council Election?

The Student Union Council is the highest decision-making body of the Student Union. The Council makes decisions on, inter alia, the Student Union’s budget and guidelines, and supervises the work of the ÅAS Executive Board. The Council also chooses student representatives and elects the members of the Executive Board. The people elected in this election will thus lead the Student Union during the period 2026–2027.

How and when do I vote?

Information on how and when to vote will be published shortly.

How do I know if I can vote or be a candidate?

If you are a member of the Student Union, you have the right to both vote and be a candidate yourself. You are a member if you are enroled as a degree student (bachelor’s and/or master’s degree) at Åbo Akademi University. As a post-graduate student, you can become a member by paying the Student Union membership fee.

If you are unsure whether you have the right to vote, you can check if you are on the list of eligible voters. The right to vote is based on the student register of Åbo Akademi University before 23 September 2025 and can be reviewed during the period of 23–25 September 2025 at:

The Student Union’s office in Åbo, Tavastgatan 22, 3rd floor, from noon to 3 p.m.

The Student Union’s office in Vasa, Havtornen, Inre Hamnen, from noon to 3 p.m.

If any faults are found in the list of eligible voters which affects eligibility to vote or run as a candidate, please make a written demand for correction to Secretary General (gs@studentkaren.fi) during the time right to vote can be examined.

I want to create an election association!

Excellent!

Anyone who wants to run as a candidate in the Student Union Council Election must belong to an election association. Every election association has an ombud, who is the contact person for the association. The Student Council Election Committee sends all information to the ombud, who, in turn, sends the information to the candidates. The person who is the ombud is not obligated to be a candidate for the election association, nor to vote for the election association!

Before you can create an election association, you need the support of at least 15 members of the Student Union. This means that you need to get at least 15 people who are members of the Student Union to sign a form stating that they support the creation of your election association. You can find the form for creating an election association in the list of forms on the first page. Please note that the form is only available in Swedish. After you have received the signatures, the form should be turned in to the Student Union’s office, either in Åbo or Vasa. The people who sign the form are not obligated to run as candidates for the election association, nor to vote for the election association!

When you have turned in the form to create an election association, it is time to recruit candiates. Recruitment must be done in accordance with the ethical rules the Election Committee has given! Every election association can have a maximum of 50 candidates. In the list of forms on the first page you can also find a candidate form, which all candidates must fill out, as well as a form to list all the candidates that the election association’s ombud fills out.

Please note that the forms are only available in Swedish. Remember to read the information on the forms well, and to turn them in to the Student Union’s office before the deadline.

I want to run as a candidate!

Excellent!

Please note that the Student Union Council uses Swedish as work language and is currently unable to provide translators and translated documents. This means that anyone who wants to be a member of the Student Union Council should be proficient in Swedish.

Anyone who wants to run as a candidate in the Student Union Council Election must belong to an election association. You can find the list of election associations here under Election Associations. To be able to run as a candidate you need to fill out the form to state that you want to run as a candidate. You also need to make sure that you are included on the list of the election association’s candidates. All forms are available on the first page in Swedish only.

Remember to read the information on the forms well, and to turn them in to the Student Union’s office before deadline.

Is it possible to form an electoral coalition?

According to the Student Union’s rules for Student Union Elections it is possible for two or more election associations to create an electoral coalition. To create an electoral coalition, a free form agreement must be sent to gs@studentkaren.fi by 12 October 2025 at 3 p.m.

An election association may only belong to one electoral coalition.

Who should I vote for?

An election compass will be published that all candidates are able to fill out. Through the election compass, you can check which candidate is most aligned with you and suits you best. You can also get to know the other candidates and election associations via their own channels. Posters with information about the election associations and their candidates are put up in buildings around the Åbo Akademi University campus.

Our student representatives

Here you can find all our student representatives within Åbo Akademi University, as well as other collaborative organizations, listed. Join our team – available positions are announced as news on the front page of the website and sent out in the weekly newsletter to all ÅAU undergraduate students.

Styrelsen för Åbo Akademi

Mandatperiod 1.1. 2023–31.12.2024

Medlem

Fanny Jonasson
Erik Östman

Rektors ledningsråd

Medlem

Nicolina Nordman, ÅAS styrelseordförande 2023

Universitetskollegiet

Mandatperiod 1.1.2022–31.12.2024

Medlem – Suppleant

Ines Latvala – Alexander Kruglov
Axel Wilson – Casimir Ruohomaa
Pernilla Bagge – Rudolf Tommos
Ida Nordell – William Törnqvist
Ida Wikman – Maisa Niemi
Matilda Mäkelä – Antonia Holmgren
Markus Hakala – Samuel Skrifvars
Felix Räykkylä – Demitra Ahlskog

Axel Wilson är studenternas representant i universitetskollegiets beredningsutskott.

Medlem

Generalsekreterare Veera Julin och styrelsemedlem Vanessa Björklund

Språkrådet för ÅA

Medlem

Katarina Rancken

Kulturråd för ÅA

Medlem

Alexandra Westerlund och Daniel Wickström

Rådet för ämnesklustret Handelshögskolan

Medlem

Elli Männikkö och Felix Wuorio

Suppleant

Hanna Kuusinen och Emilia Nordenswan

Gabriella Raittila – Casimir Ruohomaa

Gruppen för hållbarhet i undervisning

Medlem

Sofia Sandström och Carolin Markusbacka

Gruppen för hållbarhet gällande campus och beräkningar

Medlem

Risto Ruohola och Michaela Sandström

Rådet för centret för livslångt lärande (CLL)

Hälsovård och boende: Svenska lärarhögskolans stiftelses (Lärkans) delegation

Medlem

Amanda Björk och Michelle Storm (2021–2023), Pernilla Bagge och Angelina Nyblom (2022–2024)

News

Blog

Noticeboard

Newsletter

ÅAS

Organization

Steering documents

Students

Service

Get involved in ÅAS

Residences

Rentable rooms and premises

Student associations

For ÅAS' student associations

Events

Student traditions

Contact us

For media

For business

Documents

Student Union Council Elections

The Student Union Council Elections 2025 is almost here!