ABSTRACT
The Finnish model of constitutional review is pluralist and a combination of abstract ex ante constitutional review of legislation by political organs with concrete ex post review by courts. As with other Nordic countries, it is also a system without a constitutional court. The Finnish system of constitutional review seeks to retain democratic legitimacy and legislative sovereignty while simultaneously safeguarding the rights of the individuals. The paper will first set the scene by providing an overview of the transformations of the Finnish scene of constitutionalism, especially to the extent that there has been a shift from a traditionally centralised and legislative sovereignty dominated system towards a rights-based and pluralist system of constitutional review. It will then discuss the characteristics of the current model of constitutional review, as well as taking stock of the question whether this pluralist model of constitutional review, involving both ex ante review of legislation by the political branches and ex post review by the courts, manages to safeguard both the effective protection of rights and democratic legitimacy and legislative sovereignty all at once.
