Yearbook 2013
Aland. The so-called Åland delegation said in a statement to the Finnish JO in January that Ålandic place names on maps should be written in Swedish. There had then been complaints on official Finnish maps with Finnish names. According to the Åland delegation, which has the task of commenting on issues related to Åland’s autonomy, the authorities must take into account that, according to the Self-Government Act, Åland is unanimously Swedish.
In an opinion poll in September, the S-led government held its position among voters, while the opposition declined. Land Council Camilla Gunell’s party The Social Democrats increased a bit, while the coalition partner Center went back but remained the largest party. Governing the Moderates increased, while the future of oppositional Åland went backwards.
In the autumn, the future of Åland criticized how the provincial government handled the issue of Sweden’s position on Åland. In an open letter to the Land Council, among other things, concerns that the police will not receive further training in Swedish and that much of the Finnish authorities’ service is not available in Swedish for Ålanders.
In October, the government parties The Moderates and the Unbound Assembly merged. They had acted jointly in the coalition and shared a ministerial post during the term of office. It was switched from unbound to moderates at the half-term in November. However, not all members of the Unbound Collection accepted the merger, but some of the party chose to continue working.