Valtiopäiväjärjestyksen 11 § ja eduskuntaryhmien säännöt

Authors

• Aarre Tähti

Abstract

Article 11 of the Finnish Parliament Act: »Every Representative is obligated to act according to justice and truth in the exercise of his mandate. In it he is obligated to observe the Constitutional Laws, and he is not bound by any other dictates.» There are some interpretations of this article according to which it is not problematic if the representatives are bound by non-legal dictates, instructions or norms. In Finnish jurisprudence there are also some opinions and arguments in which the rules of the parliamentary factions are regarded as non-legal. But how strong are those interpretations and arguments and what is their basis? Are the representatives in spite of Article 11 bound by other dictates or factors than justice, truth and the Constitutional Laws? Is it on the whole relevant whether the binding dictates and factors are legal or non-legal? — These are some of the main questions in this study.