Christian Democrats (Finland)
Encyclopedia
The Christian Democrats is a Christian democratic
political
party in Finland
. Formerly known as the Finnish Christian League (Suomen Kristillinen Liitto, SKL; Finlands Kristliga Förbund), the Christian Democrats have six seats in the Finnish Parliament
and one in the European Parliament
.
The party was founded in 1958, chiefly from the Christian
faction of the National Coalition Party
. The party adopted its current name in 2001.
. It emphasizes "respect of human dignity, the importance of family and close communities, defending the weak, encouraging resourcefulness and individual and collective responsibility, not just for themselves but also for their neighbours and the rest of creation". Membership is open to everyone who agrees with these values and aims.
The party cherishes the environment and is committed to protection of the environment.
The Christian Democrats has allied itself with the Centre Party
, and in the 2003 elections with National Coalition Party, and in the 2009 European Parliament elections with True Finns
.
The Party has lost many of its members to bigger parties, mainly to the National Coalition and Center Party. Its MP Lyly Rajala and MEP Eija-Riitta Korhola
defected to the National Coalition in 2003, and the former party secretary Annika Kokko moved National Coalition in 2007.
The party has a high number of members of immigrant backgrounds.
English-speaking members of the party founded their own chapter in Helsinki in 2004. Its monthly meetings attract immigrants to participate in societal matters and the issues that are particularly important to them. In 2005, the Russian-speaking chapter was founded in Helsinki
.
The party is an observer member of the European People's Party
(EPP).
KD-lehti (CD News) is the party's weekly newspaper.
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
political
Politics of Finland
Politics of Finland takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic and of a multi-party system. The President of Finland is the head of state, leads the foreign policy, and is the Commander-in-chief of the Defense Forces. The Prime Minister of Finland is the head...
party in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Formerly known as the Finnish Christian League (Suomen Kristillinen Liitto, SKL; Finlands Kristliga Förbund), the Christian Democrats have six seats in the Finnish Parliament
Parliament of Finland
The Eduskunta , is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011.- Constitution :...
and one in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
The party was founded in 1958, chiefly from the Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
faction of the National Coalition Party
National Coalition Party (Finland)
The National Coalition Party is a liberal conservative political party in Finland founded in 1918.The National Coalition Party is one of the four largest parties in Finland, along with the Social Democratic Party, the Centre Party and the True Finns...
. The party adopted its current name in 2001.
Ideology
The party follows the tenets of Christian DemocracyChristian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
. It emphasizes "respect of human dignity, the importance of family and close communities, defending the weak, encouraging resourcefulness and individual and collective responsibility, not just for themselves but also for their neighbours and the rest of creation". Membership is open to everyone who agrees with these values and aims.
The party cherishes the environment and is committed to protection of the environment.
The Christian Democrats has allied itself with the Centre Party
Centre Party (Finland)
The Centre Party is a centrist and Nordic agrarian political party in Finland. It is one of the four largest political parties in the country, along with the Social Democratic Party , the National Coalition Party and the True Finns , and currently has 35 seats in the Finnish Parliament...
, and in the 2003 elections with National Coalition Party, and in the 2009 European Parliament elections with True Finns
True Finns
True Finns or The Finns is a populist and nationalist political party in Finland, founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party. The head of the movement is Timo Soini. In the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election, The party won 19.1% of votes, becoming the third largest party...
.
The Party has lost many of its members to bigger parties, mainly to the National Coalition and Center Party. Its MP Lyly Rajala and MEP Eija-Riitta Korhola
Eija-Riitta Korhola
Eija-Riitta Korhola is a Finnish politician andMember of the European Parliamentwith the National Coalition Party,part of the European People's Party and sits on...
defected to the National Coalition in 2003, and the former party secretary Annika Kokko moved National Coalition in 2007.
The party has a high number of members of immigrant backgrounds.
English-speaking members of the party founded their own chapter in Helsinki in 2004. Its monthly meetings attract immigrants to participate in societal matters and the issues that are particularly important to them. In 2005, the Russian-speaking chapter was founded in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
.
The party is an observer member of the European People's Party
European People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
(EPP).
KD-lehti (CD News) is the party's weekly newspaper.
List of party chairs
- Olavi Päivänsalo (1958-1964)
- Ahti Tele (1964-1967)
- Eino Sares (1967-1970)
- Olavi Majlander (1970-1973)
- Raino Westerholm (1973-1982)
- Esko Almgren (1982-1989)
- Toimi Kankaanniemi (1989-1995)
- Bjarne KallisBjarne KallisJohan Bjarne Kallis is the former chairman of the Christian Democratic Party , previously known as the Finnish Christian Coalition , and a member of the Parliament of Finland...
(1995-2004) - Päivi Räsänen (2004-)
Current members of parliament
- Päivi Räsänen (Häme constituency)
- Sari Palm (Kymi constituency)
- Sauli Ahvenjärvi (Satakunta constituency)
- Peter Östman (Vaasa constituency)
- Leena Rauhala (Pirkanmaa constituency)
- Jouko Jääskeläinen (Uusimaa constituency)
Parliament elections
| Year | MPs | Votes | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 0 | 3,358 | 0.17% |
| 1966 | 0 | 10,646 | 0.45% |
| 1970 | 1 | 28,228 | 1.40% |
| 1972 | 4 | 65,228 | 2.53% |
| 1975 | 9 | 90,599 | 3.29% |
| 1979 | 9 | 138,244 | 4.77% |
| 1983 | 3 | 90,410 | 3.03% |
| 1987 | 5 | 74,209 | 2.58% |
| 1991 | 8 | 83,151 | 3.05% |
| 1995 | 7 | 82,311 | 2.96% |
| 1999 | 10 | 111,835 | 4.17% |
| 2003 | 7 | 148,987 | 5.34% |
| 2007 | 7 | 134,643 | 4.86% |
| 2011 | 6 | 118,453 | 4.03% |
Local council elections
| Year | Councillors | Votes | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 134 | 49,877 | 2.0% |
| 1976 | 322 | 85,792 | 3.2% |
| 1980 | 333 | 100,800 | 3.7% |
| 1984 | 257 | 80,455 | 3.0% |
| 1988 | 273 | 71,614 | 2.72% |
| 1992 | 353 | 84,481 | 3.2% |
| 1996 | 353 | 75,494 | 3.2% |
| 2000 | 443 | 95,009 | 4.3% |
| 2004 | 392 | 94,666 | 4.0% |
| 2008 | 351 | 106,639 | 4.2% |
European parliamentary elections
| Year | MEPs | Votes | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0 | 63,134 | 2.8% |
| 1999 | 1 | 29,637 | 2.4% |
| 2004 | 0 | 70,845 | 4.3% |
| 2009 | 1 | 69 467 | 4.2% |
See also
- Christian Democracy as a political ideology
- Kristillisdemokraattiset Nuoret ry.Kristillisdemokraattiset Nuoret ry.Christian Democratic Youth of Finland is a political youth organization in Finland. It is the youth league of Christian Democrats. It currently has more than 1,100 registered members...
(Finnish Christian Democrats Youth Organization)
External links
- Christian Democrats - Official site