Finnish parliamentary election, 2015

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Finnish parliamentary election, 2015
Flag of Finland.svg
←  2011 19 April 2015 2019  →
All 200 seats to the Parliament
101 seats needed for a majority
Turnout 70.1%

 First partySecond partyThird party
  Soome ja Eesti riigipead Soome 100 kontserdil (cropped).jpg Timo Soini 2015.JPG Alexander Stubb Oct, 2014.jpg
Leader Juha Sipilä Timo Soini Alexander Stubb
Party Centre Finns National Coalition
Leader since201219972014
Last election35 seats, 15.8%39 seats, 19.1%44 seats, 20.4%
Seats won493837
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 14Decrease2.svg 1Decrease2.svg 7
Popular vote626,218524,054540,212
Percentage21.1%17.7%18.2%
SwingIncrease2.svg 5.3%Decrease2.svg 1.4%Decrease2.svg 2.2%
 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
  Antti Rinne.jpg Ville Niinisto 2009.jpg Paavo Arhinmaki A4.jpeg
Leader Antti Rinne Ville Niinistö Paavo Arhinmäki
Party Social Democratic Green League Left Alliance
Leader since201420112009
Last election42 seats, 19.1%10 seats, 7.3%14 seats, 8.1%
Seats won341512
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 8Increase2.svg 5Decrease2.svg 2
Popular vote490,102253,102211,702
Percentage16.5%8.5%7.1%
SwingDecrease2.svg 2.6%Increase2.svg 1.3%Decrease2.svg 1.0%
 Seventh partyEighth partyNinth party
  Carl Haglund.jpg Paivi Rasanen A4.jpg
Leader Carl Haglund Päivi Räsänen Mats Löfström
Party Swedish People's Christian Democrat Åland Coalition
Leader since20122004
Last election9 seats, 4.3%6 seats, 4.0%1 seat, 0.3%
Seats won951
Seat changeSteady2.svg 0Decrease2.svg 1Steady2.svg 0
Popular vote144,802105,13410,910
Percentage4.9%3.5%0.4%
SwingIncrease2.svg 0.6%Decrease2.svg 0.5%Steady2.svg 0.0%
Prime Minister before election

Alexander Stubb
National Coalition

Elected Prime Minister

Juha Sipilä
Centre

The 2015 Finnish parliamentary election was held on 19 April 2015, [1] with advance voting from 8 to 14 April. [2] The 200 members of eduskunta were elected with the proportional D'Hondt method.

Parliament of Finland legislature of Finland

The Parliament of Finland is the unicameral supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The Parliament consists of 200 members, 199 of whom are elected every four years from 13 multi-member districts electing 7-22 MPs using the proportional d'Hondt method. In addition, there is one member from Åland.

The D'Hondt method or the Jefferson method is a highest averages method for allocating seats, and is thus a type of party-list proportional representation. The method described is named in the United States after Thomas Jefferson, who introduced the method for proportional allocation of seats in the United States House of Representatives in 1791, and in Europe after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt, who described it in 1878 for proportional allocation of parliamentary seats to the parties. There are two forms: closed list and an open list.

Contents

There were 4,463,333 people entitled to vote in Finland and abroad. [3]

Background

Previous government parties

The incumbent government was formed by a four party coalition, composed of the National Coalition Party, Social Democratic Party, Swedish People's Party and the Christian Democrats as well as the MP for Åland. Left Alliance and the Green League were initially also part of the governing coalition, but both left in 2014.

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).

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.

Christian Democrats (Finland) registered political party in Finland

The Christian Democrats are a Christian-democratic political party in Finland. The Christian Democrats have five seats in the Finnish Parliament. The party was represented in the Finnish government by Minister of Interior Päivi Räsänen from 22 June 2011 until 29 May 2015.

On 22 June 2011, the parliament elected Jyrki Katainen as prime minister by a vote of 118–72; two Left Alliance MPs voted against Katainen, for which they were formally reprimanded by the Left Alliance parliamentary group. They were subsequently expelled from the group, reducing the government majority from 126 MPs to 124. In March 2014 the Left Alliance announced that it was leaving the cabinet, citing the party's opposition to budget cuts in social welfare programs, which had been agreed to by the other five parties. [4] This reduced the government's majority to 112 MPs.

Jyrki Katainen Finnish politician

Jyrki Tapani Katainen is a Finnish politician and the European Commission Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, in office since 2014. Katainen was previously Prime Minister of Finland from 2011 to 2014 and chairman of the National Coalition Party from 2004 to 2014. He was succeeded by Alexander Stubb as chairman of Finland's National Coalition Party. After stepping down as Prime Minister, Katainen was elected as European Commission Vice-President in July 2014.

In April 2014 Jyrki Katainen announced that he would not seek another term as the chairman of the National Coalition Party. The NCP chose Alexander Stubb as its new chairman in June, and he subsequently became the new Prime Minister. In September 2014 the Green League announced that it was leaving the cabinet. The Greens were opposed to the other governing parties' decision to grant Fennovoima a licence for building a nuclear power plant in Pyhäjoki. [5] The Greens' departure cut the government's majority to 102 MPs (including the Speaker of the Parliament, who does not vote). [6]

Alexander Stubb Finnish politician

Cai-Göran Alexander Stubb is a Finnish politician who served as the Prime Minister of Finland from 2014 to 2015. He rose to politics as a researcher specialized in the affairs of the European Union and was elected to the European Parliament in 2004 as a member of the National Coalition Party. In 2008, Stubb was appointed as Minister for Foreign Affairs following a scandal surrounding his predecessor, Ilkka Kanerva. In 2011 Stubb stood for election to the Finnish Parliament for the first time and was elected MP with the second highest vote count in the election, which led to Stubb becoming the Minister for Europe and Foreign Trade in Jyrki Katainen's cabinet.

Fennovoima Ltd is a Finnish nuclear power company established by a consortium of Finnish power and industrial companies.

Hanhikivi Nuclear Power Plant planned nuclear power plant in Pyhäjoki, Finland

Hanhikivi Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant proposed for construction on the Finnish Hanhikivi peninsula, in the municipality of Pyhäjoki. It is to house one Russian-designed VVER-1200 pressurised water reactor, with a capacity of 1200 MW. It was estimated that the reactor would supply 10% of Finland's energy demand by 2024. The reactor contractor Rosatom announced in December 2018, that the plant will be operational by 2028 at the earliest, and building would not begin before 2021.

Changes to the electoral districts

Electoral districts in the 2015 election Suomen vaalipiirit 2013.png
Electoral districts in the 2015 election

In 2013 the parliament decided to merge certain electoral districts to create larger districts: the electoral districts of Northern Savonia and North Karelia have been merged into a new district called Savonia-Karelia, while the electoral districts of Kymi and Southern Savonia have been merged into a new district called South-Eastern Finland. [7]

Northern Savonia was an electoral district represented in the Finnish Eduskunta (parliament). Since 2013 it has been part of the Savonia Karelia electoral district. It covered the administrative region of Northern Savonia, with a population of about 251,000. Northern Savonia currently elects ten members of the Eduskunta.

North Karelia was an electoral district represented in the Finnish Eduskunta (parliament). In 2013 it was merged with Northern Savonia electoral district to form the Savonia-Karelia electoral district. It covered the administrative region of North Karelia, with a population of 169,722. North Karelia elected six members of the Eduskunta, when in 2005 there were still seven seats.

Kymi is an electoral district represented in the Finnish Eduskunta (parliament). It covers the administrative regions of South Karelia and Kymenlaakso in south-eastern Finland, with a combined population of about 322,000. Kymi currently elects 12 members of the Eduskunta.

Electoral districtSeats
01 Helsinki 22
02 Uusimaa 35
03 Finland Proper 17
04 Satakunta 8
05 Åland 1
06 Tavastia 14
07 Pirkanmaa 19
08 South-East Finland 17
09 Savonia-Karelia 16
10 Vaasa 16
11 Central Finland 10
12 Oulu 18
13 Lapland 7

Opinion polling

Taloustutkimus opinion polling since 2011 election. 2015 Finland opinion polls.png
Taloustutkimus opinion polling since 2011 election.

Results

Largest party by municipality: Centre Party Finns Party National Coalition Party Social Democratic Party Left Alliance Swedish People's Party Aland Coalition Christian Democrats Eduskuntavaalit 2015.png
Largest party by municipality:
  Centre Party
  Finns Party
  National Coalition Party
  Social Democratic Party
  Left Alliance
  Swedish People's Party
  Åland Coalition
  Christian Democrats
Largest party by electoral district: National Coalition Party Finns Party Centre Party Social Democratic Party Aland Coalition Finnish parliamentary election, 2015 results by constituency.png
Largest party by electoral district:
  National Coalition Party
  Finns Party
  Centre Party
  Social Democratic Party
  Åland Coalition
2015 Finnish General Election.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Centre Party 626,21821.1049+14
Finns Party 524,05417.6538–1
National Coalition Party 540,21218.2037–7
Social Democratic Party 490,10216.5134–8
Green League 253,1028.5315+5
Left Alliance 211,7027.1312–2
Swedish People's Party of Finland 144,8024.8890
Christian Democrats 105,1343.545–1
Pirate Party 25,0860.8500
Independence Party 13,6380.4600
Åland Coalition 10,9100.3710
Communist Party 7,5290.2500
Change 2011 7,4420.2500
Pirkanmaa Joint List2,4690.080New
Liberals for Åland 1,2770.0400
Communist Workers' Party 1,1000.0400
Workers' Party 9840.0300
For the Poor 6230.0200
Independents2,0750.0700
Total2,968,4591002000
Valid votes2,968,45999.48
Invalid/blank votes15,3970.52
Total votes cast2,983,856100
Registered voters/turnout4,463,33366.85
Source: Ministry of Justice, YLE
Popular vote
KESK
 
21.10%
KOK
 
18.20%
PS
 
17.65%
SDP
 
16.51%
VIHR
 
8.53%
VAS
 
7.13%
SFP
 
4.88%
KD
 
3.54%
Others
 
2.46%
Parliament seats
KESK
 
24.50%
PS
 
19.00%
KOK
 
18.50%
SDP
 
17.00%
VIHR
 
7.50%
VAS
 
6.00%
SFP
 
4.50%
KD
 
2.50%
Others
 
0.50%

Formation of government

As the leader of the largest party, Juha Sipilä of Centre was tasked with forming the new government coalition. In early May Sipilä announced that he will seek to form a right-leaning majority coalition consisting of the three largest parties – the Centre Party, the Finns Party and the National Coalition Party. [9] The coalition negotiations were successful and led to the formation of the Sipilä cabinet on 29 May.

Related Research Articles

The Green League, shortened to the Greens, is a green political party in Finland. The Green League is among the largest political parties in Finland. The Greens hold fifteen seats in the Finnish Parliament and one in the European Parliament. The party is a member of the Global Greens and the European Green Party, while its MEP, Heidi Hautala, sits with The Greens–European Free Alliance in the European Parliament. Originally split on whether Finland should join the European Union, the Green League is pro-European and was the first Finnish party in favor of the federalisation of the European Union.

Savonia (historical province)

Savonia is a historical province in the east of Finland. It borders Tavastia, Ostrobothnia, and Karelia. In current day, Savonia is divided in two provinces Northern Savonia and Southern Savonia. The largest cities in Savonia by population are Kuopio, Mikkeli, Savonlinna, Varkaus and Iisalmi.

Finns Party right-wing populist party in Finland

The Finns Party, formerly known in English as the True Finns, is a Finnish conservative political party, founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party.

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2011 Finnish parliamentary election parliamentary election in Finland in 2011

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The Katainen Cabinet was the 72nd cabinet of Finland, formed as a result of the 2011 post-parliamentary election negotiations between the Finnish parliamentary parties. Led by Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen of the National Coalition Party (NCP), 12 ministers of the 19-minister government represented the NCP and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), while the Left Alliance, the Green League, the Swedish People's Party (RKP) and the Christian Democrats share seven minister portfolios. On June 22, the Parliament confirmed Katainen's election as the Prime Minister and President Tarja Halonen inaugurated the government. Two Left Alliance MPs voted against Katainen, for which they were formally reprimanded by the Left Alliance's parliamentary group. On 25 March, 2014, the rest of Left Alliance left the cabinet over dispute on a package of spending cuts and tax rises.

Juha Sipilä 44th Prime Minister of Finland

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2019 Finnish parliamentary election

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2017 Finnish government crisis

The 2017 Finnish government crisis followed the Finns Party leadership election held on 10 June 2017. Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Minister of Finance Petteri Orpo announced on 12 June that they would no longer cooperate in a coalition government with the Finns Party after Jussi Halla-aho was elected party chairman. The crisis resolved on 13 June when twenty MPs defected from the Finns Party's parliamentary group, forming what would eventually become the Blue Reform party. Sipilä's government retained a majority in Finland's parliament as the Blue Reform continued as a member of the coalition.

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Krista Johanna Mikkonen is a Finnish Green Party politician. She now lives in Joensuu, but spent her childhood in Koria. She has worked as a Member of the Finnish Parliament since 2015. Mikkonen was elected as the Green Party spokeswoman in September 2016. Before that, Mikkonen worked as the party's vice chairman.

References

  1. ↑ "Finnish Parliamentary Elections 2015" (PDF). vaalit.fi. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Advance voting begins ahead of parliamentary elections". yle.fi. Yle News English. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "People entitled to vote". vaalit.fi. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Vasemmistoliitto lähtee hallituksesta YLE, 25 March 2014, accessed 18 September 2014.
  5. ↑ Fennovoiman periaatepäätös hyväksyttiin, vihreät jättää hallituksen Helsingin Sanomat, 18 September 2014, accessed 18 September 2014.
  6. ↑ Vihreät ulos hallituksesta – "Mieli on raskas ja pettynyt" YLE, 18 September 2014, accessed 18 September 2014.
  7. ↑ Vaalipiiriuudistus lyötiin lukkoon eduskunnassa YLE, 6 March 2013, accessed 18 September 2014.
  8. ↑ "Yle Tulos palvelu Koko maa". Yle Vaalikone.
  9. ↑ Sipilä opts for right-leaning government, YLE News 7 May 2015, accessed 7 May 2015.

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