Finnish parliamentary election, 1979

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Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 18 and 19 March 1979. [1]

Finland Republic in Northern Europe

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland is a country in Northern Europe bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Norway to the north, Sweden to the northwest, and Russia to the east. Finland is a Nordic country and is situated in the geographical region of Fennoscandia. The capital and largest city is Helsinki. Other major cities are Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Oulu and Turku.

Contents

Background

Prime Minister Martti Miettunen's centrist minority government (Centre Party, Swedish People's Party and Liberal Party) resigned in May 1977. After a two-year break, Social Democrat Kalevi Sorsa returned to office as Prime Minister. He formed a centre-left majority government, which stimulated the economy by deficit spending, tax cuts to businesses and some public works projects. The economy started to grow again in 1978, after a two-year recession; unemployment peaked at 8.5% (about 200,000 unemployed) in 1978 and inflation remained high.

Martti Miettunen Finnish politician

Martti Juhani Miettunen, was a Finnish politician who served twice as Finland's prime minister, from 1961 to 1962 and again from 1975 to 1977.

Social Democratic Party of Finland registered political party in Finland

The Social Democratic Party of Finland, shortened to the Social Democrats, is a social-democratic political party in Finland. The party holds 35 seats in Finland's parliament. The party has set many fundamental policies of Finnish society during its representation in the Finnish Government. Founded in 1899, the SDP is Finland's oldest active political party. The SDP has a close relationship with Finland's largest trade union, SAK, and is a member of the Socialist International, the Party of European Socialists, and SAMAK.

Kalevi Sorsa Prime Minister of Finland

Taisto Kalevi Sorsa was a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland three times: 1972–1975, 1977–1979 and 1982–1987. At the time of his death he still held the record for most days of incumbency as prime minister. He was also a long-time leader of the Social Democratic Party of Finland.

Results

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Social Democratic Party 691,51223.952–2
National Coalition Party 626,76421.747+12
Finnish People's Democratic League 518,04517.935–5
Centre Party 500,47817.336–3
Finnish Christian League 138,2444.890
Finnish Rural Party 132,4574.67+5
Swedish People's Party 122,4184.290
Liberal People's Party 106,5603.74–5
Constitutional People's Party 34,9581.20–1
Finnish People's Unity Party 9,3160.30–1
Åland Coalition 9,2860.310
Socialist Workers Party 2,9550.100
Party of Finnish Entrepreneurs1,2330.000
Others2200.00–
Invalid/blank votes11,620–––
Total2,906,0661002000
Registered voters/turnout3,858,55375.3––
Source: Tilastokeskus 2004 [2]
Popular vote
SDP
 
23.89%
KOK
 
21.65%
SKDL
 
17.90%
KESK
 
17.29%
SKL
 
4.78%
SMP
 
4.58%
RKP
 
4.23%
LKP
 
3.68%
SPK
 
1.21%
Others
 
0.79%
Parliament seats
SDP
 
26.00%
KOK
 
23.50%
KESK
 
18.00%
SKDL
 
17.50%
SKL
 
4.50%
RKP
 
4.50%
SMP
 
3.50%
LKP
 
2.00%
Others
 
0.50%

Aftermath

The National Coalition Party had conducted a vigorous election campaign, demanding to be allowed to re-join the government after thirteen years in the opposition. They reaped the benefits of this campaign, and of the usual decrease of long-time governing parties' support, by picking up twelve seats and becoming the second-largest party. Their leader, Harri Holkeri, negotiated with the various parliamentary parties and concluded in April 1979 that no stable majority centre-right government could be formed, because the traditional bourgeois parties (the Centre Party, the National Coalition Party, the Swedish People's Party and the Liberal People's Party) considered the Finnish Christian League and Finnish Rural Party too ideologically extreme or old-fashioned to become reliable coalition partners. Holkeri declined to form a government, but Sorsa refused to continue as Prime Minister, due to the unpopularity that he had suffered amid the recession's lingering effects, his role in the establishment of the soon-to-be-bankrupt television cathode-ray tube factory Valco, his alleged belittling of family violence in a television interview, and his health problems (back pain).

National Coalition Party centre-right political party in Finland

The National Coalition Party is a centre-right political party in Finland considered to be liberal, conservative, and liberal-conservative. Founded in 1918, the National Coalition Party is one of the three largest parties in Finland, along with the Social Democratic Party and the Centre Party. The current party chair is Petteri Orpo, elected on 11 June 2016. The party self-statedly bases its politics on "freedom, responsibility and democracy, equal opportunities, education, supportiveness, tolerance and caring" and supports multiculturalism and gay rights. It is pro-NATO and pro-European as well as a member of the European People's Party (EPP).

Harri Holkeri Prime Minister of Finland and speaker of the UN General Assembly

Harri Hermanni Holkeri was a Finnish statesman representing the National Coalition Party of Finland. He was the Prime Minister of Finland 1987–1991, speaker of the UN General Assembly 2000–2001 and headed the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo from 2003- 2004.

The Swedish People's Party of Finland is a liberal-centrist political party in Finland aiming to represent the interests of the minority Swedish-speaking population of Finland. An ethnic catch-all party, the party's main election issue has been since its inception the Swedish-speaking Finns' right to their own language and to maintain the Swedish language's position in Finland. The party was in governmental position 1979–2015 with one or two seats in the government and collaborated with the centre-right as well as the centre-left in the Parliament of Finland. After the 2015 election SFP was left out of the government formed by the three largest parties.

Trade and Industry Minister Pirkko Työläjärvi refused President Urho Kekkonen's offer to become Prime Minister, because she claimed to be unprepared for such a large task. Kekkonen finally turned to Governor of the Bank of Finland Mauno Koivisto of the Social Democrats, who managed to form a centre-left majority government in late May 1979. The veteran Centrist politician Johannes Virolainen claimed in his memoirs that Kekkonen had appointed Koivisto as Prime Minister on the advice of former Prime Minister Miettunen, who claimed that the Finnish people would then see that Koivisto was not as intelligent as they had believed him to be. Kekkonen's official biographer, historian Juhani Suomi, disagreed, and claimed that Koivisto was Kekkonen's last remaining choice as Prime Minister - unless Kekkonen had intended to appoint a caretaker government. Koivisto's second - and final - government would last, despite frequent internal disagreements (their background was Kekkonen's imminent resignation as President and Koivisto's supreme popularity as his successor), until February 1982. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Urho Kekkonen eighth President of Finland

Urho Kaleva Kekkonen was a Finnish politician who served as the eighth and longest-serving President of Finland (1956–82). He ruled over Finland for nearly 26 years, and held a questionably large amount of power; he is often classified as an autocrat. Regardless, he remains a popular, respected and recognizable figure. Previously, he had served as Prime Minister of Finland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Speaker of the Finnish Parliament (1948–50) and Minister of Justice. As president, Kekkonen continued the "active neutrality" policy of his predecessor President Juho Kusti Paasikivi, a doctrine that came to be known as the "Paasikivi–Kekkonen line", under which Finland retained its independence while maintaining good relations and extensive trade with members of both NATO and the Warsaw Pact. He hosted the European Conference on Security and Co-operation in Helsinki in 1975 and was considered a potential candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize that year.

Bank of Finland central bank of Finland

The Bank of Finland is the central bank of Finland. It is the fourth oldest central bank in the world.

Mauno Koivisto President of Finland

Mauno Henrik KoivistoGOIH was a Finnish politician who served as the ninth President of Finland from 1982 to 1994. He also served twice as Prime Minister, 1968 – 1970 and 1979 – 1982. He was the first Social Democratic Party member to be elected President of Finland.

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References

  1. ↑ Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p606 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. ↑ 595. Eduskuntavaalit 1927–2003 [ permanent dead link ] (Tilastokeskus 2004)
  3. ↑ Seppo Zetterberg et al (2003) A Small Giant of the Finnish History, WSOY
  4. ↑ Juhani Suomi (2000) A Ski Trail Being Snowed In: Urho Kekkonen 1976-1981, Otava
  5. ↑ Johannes Virolainen (1991) The Last Electoral Term, Otava
  6. ↑ Aarno Laitinen et al (1981) Tamminiemi's Inheritance Dividers, Journalist Men Ltd
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