1948 Finnish parliamentary election

1948 Finnish parliamentary election

1–2 July 1948
All 200 seats in the Parliament of Finland 101 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader V. J. Sukselainen Emil Skog Kusti Kulo Party Agrarian SDP SKDL Last election 49 seats, 21.35% 50 seats, 25.08% 49 seats, 23.47% Seats won 56 54 38 Seat change 7 4 11 Popular vote 455,635 494,719 375,538 Percentage 24.24% 26.32% 19.98% Swing 2.89pp 1.24pp 3.49pp   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Arvo Salminen Ralf Törngren Akseli Nikula Party National Coalition RKP National Progressive Last election 28 seats, 15.04% 14 seats, 7.90% 9 seats, 5.17% Seats won 33 13 5 Seat change 5 1 4 Popular vote 320,366 137,981 73,444 Percentage 17.04% 7.34% 3.91% Swing 2.00pp 0.56pp 1.26pp   Seventh party   Party ÅS Last election – Seats won 1 Seat change new Popular vote 6,567 Percentage 0.35% Swing new
Prime Minister before election Mauno Pekkala SKDL Prime Minister after election Karl-August Fagerholm SDP

Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 1 and 2 July 1948.[1]

Background

The political atmosphere during the July 1948 Finnish parliamentary elections was heated. Many Finns across the party lines believed that the communists and the Finnish People's Democratic League had pursued their goal of making Finland a solidly left-wing country too vigorously. They had even held the prime ministership since March 1946, with Mauno Pekkala serving in that position. They had organized many mass meetings, demanded the dismissal of "reactionary" (especially right-wing) civil servants and claimed that the Finnish government had to adopt even a friendlier relationship with the Soviet Union. They had vigorously supported the imprisonment of eight former top politicians, including former president Risto Ryti, for "war guilt" (making decisions that resulted in the Continuation War of 1941 to 1944 between Finland, the Soviet Union and Germany). In the spring of 1948, there were even unproven rumours of an imminent coup attempt by the Finnish communists. Some Finnish war veterans condemned the communist interior minister Yrjö Leino for deporting to the Soviet Union Ingrian Finns, East Karelians and Estonians who had fought in the Finnish army during the Continuation War. The controversy over the treatment of these "prisoners of Leino", several of whom were Finnish citizens, forced Leino to resign in May 1948.

The Social Democratic Party's election slogan was: "Enough already: price hikes, lying promises, opinion terror, forced democracy." The Agrarian League's election slogan was: "On these leans the Agrarian League" under the Bible and the Finnish law. The National Coalition Party declared simply: "Be free." These traditional democratic parties gained a total of 16 members of parliament in the election, while the communists lost 11, compared to the 1945 election.

After the election, the Finnish politics began to stabilize. The United States appreciated Finland's desire to remain a Western democracy, despite its close relationship with the Soviet Union, symbolized by the Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance Treaty (FCMA), which was signed in April 1948. After the election, the Social Democrats formed a minority government under prime minister Karl-August Fagerholm. They did not want to form a government with the Agrarian League, claimed the late veteran agrarian-centrist politician Johannes Virolainen, because they feared that they would lose votes to the communists in the next election. The Agrarian League quietly supported Fagerholm's government.[2][3][4]

Results

Summary

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Social Democratic Party	494,719	26.32	54	+4
	Agrarian League	455,635	24.24	56	+7
	Finnish People's Democratic League	375,538	19.98	38	–11
	National Coalition Party	320,366	17.04	33	+5
	Swedish People's Party	137,981	7.34	13	–1
	National Progressive Party	73,444	3.91	5	–4
	Åland Coalition	6,567	0.35	1	New
	Small Farmers Party	5,378	0.29	0	0
	Radical People's Party	5,162	0.27	0	0
	Others	5,178	0.28	0	–
Total		1,879,968	100.00	200	0
Valid votes		1,879,968	99.27
Invalid/blank votes		13,869	0.73
Total votes		1,893,837	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		2,420,287	78.25
Source: Tilastokeskus 2004[5]

By electoral district

Electoral district	Total seats	Seats won
		ML	SDP	SKDL	Kok	RKP	KE	ÅS
Åland	1							1
Central Finland	11	4	3	2	2
Häme	11	2	4	2	3
Kymi	32	12	10	3	6		1
Lapland	8	4	1	2	1
North Karelia	10	4	4	1	1
North Savo	11	4	2	4	1
North Vaasa	8	3	1	1	1	2
Oulu	17	8	2	5	1		1
Pirkanmaa	12	1	5	3	3
Satakunta	13	3	4	3	3
South Savo	11	5	4	1	1
South Vaasa	10	3	1	1	2	3
Uusima	31	1	9	6	6	7	2
Varsinais-Suomi	14	2	4	4	2	1	1
Total	200	56	54	38	33	13	5	1
Source: Statistics Finland[6]

References

1. Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p606 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
2. Seppo Zetterberg et al., eds., A Small Giant of the Finnish History / Suomen historian pikkujättiläinen, Helsinki: WSOY, 2003
3. Pentti Virrankoski, Finland's History 1&2 / Suomen historia 1&2, Helsinki: Finnish Literary Society / Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura, 2009
4. Johannes Virolainen, The Last Electoral Term / Viimeinen vaalikausi, Helsinki: Otava, 1991
5. Tiedosto "595. Eduskuntavaalit 1927–2003 (Tilastokeskus 2004)
6. Suomen virallinen tilasto XXIX A:21: Eduskuntavaalit vuonna 1948. Statistics Finland. 1949.