1962 Finnish parliamentary election

Last updated
1962 Finnish parliamentary election
Flag of Finland 1920-1978 (State).svg
  1958 4–5 February 1962 1966  

All 200 seats in the Parliament of Finland
101 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Vieno Johannes Sukselainen.jpg Kulo (cropped).JPG Vaino Tanner.jpg
Leader V. J. Sukselainen Kusti Kulo Väinö Tanner
Party Agrarian SKDL SDP
Last election23.06%, 48 seats23.16%, 50 seats23.12%, 48 seats
Seats won534738
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 5Decrease2.svg 3Decrease2.svg 10
Popular vote528,409506,829448,930
Percentage22.95%22.02%19.50%
SwingDecrease2.svg 0.11ppDecrease2.svg 1.14ppDecrease2.svg 3.62pp

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
  Jussi Saukkonen (1951).jpg Harras Kytta.jpg Lars Erik Taxell.jpg
Leader Jussi Saukkonen Harras Kyttä Lars Erik Taxell
Party National Coalition People's RKP
Last election15.28%, 29 seats5.90%, 8 seats6.50%, 13 seats
Seats won321313
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 3Increase2.svg 5Steady2.svg
Popular vote346,638146,005140,689
Percentage15.06%6.34%6.11%
SwingDecrease2.svg 0.22ppIncrease2.svg 0.44ppDecrease2.svg 0.39pp

 Seventh partyEighth partyNinth party
  Emil-Skog-1957.jpg Teuvo-Aura-1972 (cropped).jpg
Leader Emil Skog Teuvo Aura
Party TPSL Liberal League ÅS
Last election1.75%, 3 seats0.33%, 0 seats0.28%, 1 seat
Seats won211
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 1Increase2.svg 1Steady2.svg
Popular vote100,39612,0007,261
Percentage4.36%0.52%0.32%
SwingIncrease2.svg 2.61ppIncrease2.svg 0.19ppIncrease2.svg 0.04pp

Prime Minister before election

Martti Miettunen
Agrarian

Prime Minister after election

Ahti Karjalainen
Agrarian

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

Contents

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

1962 Eduskunta.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Agrarian League 528,40922.9553+5
Finnish People's Democratic League 506,82922.0247–3
Social Democratic Party 448,93019.5038–10
National Coalition Party 346,63815.0632+3
People's Party 146,0056.3413+5
Swedish People's Party 140,6896.11130
Social Democratic Union of Workers and Smallholders 100,3964.362–1
Smallholders' Party 49,7732.160New
Liberal League 12,0000.521+1
Centre Party8,6860.380New
Åland Coalition 7,2610.3210
Smallholders' Party Opposition6,3290.270New
Others530.000
Total2,301,998100.002000
Valid votes2,301,99899.65
Invalid/blank votes8,0920.35
Total votes2,310,090100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,714,83885.09
Source: Tilastokeskus 2004 [3]

By electoral district

Electoral district Total
seats
Seats won
ML SKDL SDP Kok SK RKP TPSL VL ÅS
Åland 11
Central Finland 11332111
Häme 1433431
Helsinki 204443311
Kymi154254
Lapland 94311
North Karelia1042211
North Savo1244121
Oulu 1896111
Pirkanmaa 1214331
Satakunta 144433
South Savo115132
Uusima 17245213
Vaasa 2073235
Varsinais-Suomi 16343222
Total200534738321313211
Source: Statistics Finland [4]

References

  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.