The Student Union of the University of Lapland (LYY) has completed its Representative Council elections, and the results promise an interesting new term in student politics. The voter turnout dropped sharply by 14 percentage points from the previous elections, landing at 22.6%, with 1,013 students casting their votes. 

“Voting activity was highest on the first day of advance voting and on the election day itself. The drop in turnout can be interpreted in many ways, and it’s likely the result of several factors,” says Juuso Kurokallio, Chair of the Central Election Committee. 

Kurokallio adds that the committee will not speculate further on the turnout decline. “I’m eager to see how much the newly elected council will achieve and what kinds of changes LYY will experience over the next two years. Major decisions and reforms are on the horizon right from the start of this council term. Congratulations once again to all those elected,” he continues. 

Once again, Artikla came out on top, securing 272 votes and maintaining its position as the strongest group in the council. However, despite a broad candidate base, the law students’ list lost two seats compared to the previous term. Mariel Tähtivaara from Artikla was one of the election’s top vote-getters with 40 votes. 

In second place was the TAO-lista, which received 225 votes and further strengthened its position. Representing art students, the list brought several new faces to the council, alongside experienced members continuing their involvement in student politics. Miikka Keränen (37 votes) emerged as the group’s leading candidate, representing TAO’s more experienced ranks thanks to his previous term on the Representative Council in 2019–2021. 

The energetic Rollo Viva took third place with 188 votes, establishing itself as the most active new political group. The list’s standout candidate was Henriikka Aho, who received 57 votes – the highest individual total in the entire election. 

The YTK Superlista faced a small setback, losing one seat, while the KTK-mahtilista held its ground with 98 votes. Among the smaller groups, Kokoomus (National coalition) (55 votes) and Neliapila (Centrists) (53 votes) both came close to gaining a seat; Kokoomus maintained its representation, while Neliapila made a comeback to the council after a two-year break. 

Among the new and smaller groups, LYY:n Demariopiskelijat (Social Democrat students) who ran in an electoral alliance with Rollo Viva, collected 11 votes but did not secure a seat. Their participation nevertheless added variety to the candidate field and brought a welcome political dimension to the elections. 

Distribution  of  seats  2025–2027: 

Artikla: 6 seats (−2) – 272 votes 

TAO-lista: 4 seats – 225 votes 

Rollo Viva: 4 seats (+4) – 188 votes 

YTK Superlista: 2 seats (−1) – 106 votes 

KTK-mahtilista 2 seats – 98 votes 

Kokoomus: 1 seat – 55 votes 

Neliapila: 1 seat (+1) – 52 votes