1962 Finnish parliamentary election

1962 Finnish parliamentary election
All 200 seats in the Parliament of Finland ; 101 seats needed for a majority
Prime Minister before election; Martti Miettunen ; Agrarian	Prime Minister after election; Martti Miettunen ; Agrarian

Last updated April 16, 2023

Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 4 and 5 February 1962.^[1]

Background

V. J. Sukselainen's second minority government had resigned in 1961, followed by Prime Minister Martti Miettunen's Agrarian first government, also a centrist minority government. In the spring of 1961, Olavi Honka, a former Chancellor of Justice (Attorney General), accepted the presidential candidacy of the Social Democratic Party, National Coalition Party, Swedish People's Party, People's Party, Smallholders' Party and the Liberal League. This Honka Alliance's goal was to defeat President Urho Kekkonen in the presidential elections of January and February 1962.

However, their plans were derailed in October 1961 when the Soviet Union sent a diplomatic note to Finland, asking it to participate in negotiations about the two countries' military co-operation. The Soviet government claimed that militarism and neo-Nazism were increasing in West Germany, and that Finland and the Soviet Union would have to negotiate on the basis of the Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance Treaty. During the Note Crisis, in late November Kekkonen dissolved Parliament and called early elections for February 1962. Shortly thereafter, Honka ended his presidential candidacy "for the fatherland's interest." Kekkonen travelled to Novosibirsk in the Soviet Union, where he negotiated briefly with the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Again Khrushchev assured Kekkonen that all was well in the Finnish-Soviet relations, despite the efforts of "anti-Soviet" Finns to worsen them.

Campaign

The parliamentary elections were held in the first week of February 1962, between the Electoral College elections and the second phase of the presidential elections. The parties that still opposed Kekkonen's re-election had trouble campaigning in both the presidential and the parliamentary elections. After the parliamentary elections, Ahti Karjalainen of the Agrarian League formed a centre-right majority government that remained in office until December 1963. It was replaced by another caretaker government, led by Bureau Chief (a senior civil servant) Reino Lehto.^[2]

Results



Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Agrarian League	528,409	22.95	53	+5
	Finnish People's Democratic League	506,829	22.02	47	–3
	Social Democratic Party	448,930	19.50	38	–10
	National Coalition Party	346,638	15.06	32	+3
	People's Party	146,005	6.34	13	+5
	Swedish People's Party	140,689	6.11	13	0
	Social Democratic Union of Workers and Smallholders	100,396	4.36	2	–1
	Smallholders' Party	49,773	2.16	0	New
	Liberal League	12,000	0.52	1	+1
	Centre Party	8,686	0.38	0	New
	Åland Coalition	7,261	0.32	1	0
	Smallholders' Party Opposition	6,329	0.27	0	New
	Others	53	0.00	0	–
Total		2,301,998	100.00	200	0

Valid votes		2,301,998	99.65
Invalid/blank votes		8,092	0.35
Total votes		2,310,090	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		2,714,838	85.09
Source: Tilastokeskus 2004^[3]

By electoral district

Electoral district	Total seats	Seats won
		ML	SKDL	SDP	Kok	SK	RKP	TPSL	VL	ÅS

Åland	1									1
Central Finland	11	3	3	2	1	1		1
Häme	14	3	3	4	3	1
Helsinki	20		4	4	4	3	3	1	1
Kymi	15	4	2	5	4
Lapland	9	4	3		1	1
North Karelia	10	4	2	2	1	1
North Savo	12	4	4	1	2	1
Oulu	18	9	6	1	1	1
Pirkanmaa	12	1	4	3	3	1
Satakunta	14	4	4	3	3
South Savo	11	5	1	3	2
Uusima	17	2	4	5	2	1	3
Vaasa	20	7	3	2	3		5
Varsinais-Suomi	16	3	4	3	2	2	2
Total	200	53	47	38	32	13	13	2	1	1

Source: Statistics Finland^[4]

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References

↑ Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p606 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
↑ Seppo Zetterberg (2003) A Small Giant of the Finnish History, WSOY
↑ 595. Eduskuntavaalit 1927–2003 (Tilastokeskus 2004)
↑ Suomen virallinen tilasto XXIX A:28: Eduskuntavaalit vaalit 1962. Statistics Finland. 1962.

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[DN-1] Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p606 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7

[2] Seppo Zetterberg (2003) A Small Giant of the Finnish History, WSOY

[3] 595. Eduskuntavaalit 1927–2003 (Tilastokeskus 2004)

[4] Suomen virallinen tilasto XXIX A:28: Eduskuntavaalit vaalit 1962. Statistics Finland. 1962.

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