It is once again time to elect a new representatives for Body or Representatives (edustajisto/edari), the highest decision-making body of our student union!
Edari is OSAKO’s highest decision-making body, consisting of students who meet approximately 5-10 times a year to decide on the major lines of our activities, such as financial and action plans. Edari and OSAKO as a whole are led by the president/the chair of the representatives, and its other members are called “edaattorit”. Working on the edari is an excellent way to influence on OSAKO’s affairs, as it does not require a huge time commitment, but on the other hand, it carries a lot of decision-making power and you can learn a lot of skills that are useful in working life, for example. In addition, it is possible to apply for study credits for participating in it.
Edari is elected in Body of Representatives elections, in which 15–20 representatives and a maximum of the same number of deputy members are voted in. Before the election week (which takes place from October 29th to November 5th), there is a nomination period during which any OSAKO member can nominate themselves as a candidate for the representative council.
Nomination of the candidates
The nomination period of the candidates runs from September 23th to October 8th. To nominate as a candidate, fill out the nomination form and submit it to OSAKO by 4 pm on October 8th. Physical forms are available at the OSAKO office at Linnanmaa and Sluuppi Shop, and electronic forms can be found at the end of this article and in the material bank on our website.
When you as a candidate, you can join an existing electoral alliance or run as an independent candidate. In recent years, we have seen electoral alliances formed by social and health care students, business students and engineering students, for example, but it is also a good idea to ask your own field’s student organization about the situation this year. You can also form your own electoral alliance, but remember that you can only be a member of one electoral alliance, and if you are elected, your electoral alliance will become your representative group. If you form your own electoral alliance or electoral circle, fill in and submit the relevant documents to OSAKO by the end of the nomination period as well. You can find the documents in the material bank on our website.
Election week
Once the nomination period has ended, there will be a few weeks’ break in the election campaign, after which we will celebrate election week at the end of October. If you are a member of OSAKO, you are automatically justified to vote. Voting will be conducted electronically, with a link to the voting page sent by email. The link will be sent to members’ Kide.app email addresses.
At the end of election week, the election committee will count the votes and the new representative council will be elected. The new representative council’s term of office will begin in January 2026 and last for one year. Simple as that!
For more info about the elections, contact our Secretary in General, Tapio Korhonen, tapio.korhonen@oamk.fi
