Finnish parliamentary election, 1927
Encyclopedia
Parliamentary elections were held in Finland
on 1 and 2 July 1927. Although the Social Democratic Pary
remained the largest in Parliament with 60 of the 200 seats, Juho Sunila
of the Agrarian League
formed a minority government in May 1924. It remained intact until the Agrarians
left in November 1924. Voter turnout was 55.8%.
. President Lauri Kristian Relander
, an Agrarian, had supported the establishment of that minority government, after the Agrarian Prime Minister Kyösti Kallio
's first government had been defeated in a vote of confidence in November 1926. He had advised Tanner to prepare a liberal and moderate government programme, which the Agrarians and Progressives
could support. In April 1927 President Relander caught a cold which developed into a life-threatening pneumonia. He had to go on sick leave, and Tanner became the Acting President. He even received the centre-right Civil Guards' (Suojeluskunnat in Finnish; a voluntary national defence organization) salute on the Defence Forces' Flag Day (then held on 16 May). The bourgeois (non-socialist) parties tried to get back into power by persuading enough Finnish voters to reject the Social Democratic minority government.
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...
on 1 and 2 July 1927. Although the Social Democratic Pary
Social Democratic Party of Finland
The Social Democratic Party of Finland is one of the three major political parties in Finland, along with the Centre Party and the National Coalition Party. Jutta Urpilainen is the current SDP leader. The party has been in the Finnish government cabinet for long periods and has set many...
remained the largest in Parliament with 60 of the 200 seats, Juho Sunila
Juho Sunila
Johan Emil Sunila was a Finnish politician from the Agrarian League, the managing director of the agrarian finance board, and Prime Minister of Finland in two cabinets ....
of the Agrarian League
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...
formed a minority government in May 1924. It remained intact until the Agrarians
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...
left in November 1924. Voter turnout was 55.8%.
Background
Finland was governed during the 1927 election by a Social Democratic minority government led by Väinö TannerVäinö Tanner
Väinö Tanner was a pioneer and leader in the cooperative movement in Finland, and Prime Minister of Finland from 1926 to 1927....
. President Lauri Kristian Relander
Lauri Kristian Relander
Lauri Kristian Relander was the second President of Finland . A prominent member of the Agrarian League, he served as a member of Parliament, and as Speaker, before his election as President....
, an Agrarian, had supported the establishment of that minority government, after the Agrarian Prime Minister Kyösti Kallio
Kyösti Kallio
Kyösti Kallio was the fourth President of Finland . He was a prominent leader of the Agrarian League, and served as Prime Minister four times and Speaker of the Parliament six times.-Early life:...
's first government had been defeated in a vote of confidence in November 1926. He had advised Tanner to prepare a liberal and moderate government programme, which the Agrarians and Progressives
National Progressive Party (Finland)
The National Progressive Party was a liberal political party in Finland from 1918 to 1951. The party was founded December 8 1918, after the Finnish Civil War, by the republican majority of the Young Finnish Party and the republican minority of the Finnish Party...
could support. In April 1927 President Relander caught a cold which developed into a life-threatening pneumonia. He had to go on sick leave, and Tanner became the Acting President. He even received the centre-right Civil Guards' (Suojeluskunnat in Finnish; a voluntary national defence organization) salute on the Defence Forces' Flag Day (then held on 16 May). The bourgeois (non-socialist) parties tried to get back into power by persuading enough Finnish voters to reject the Social Democratic minority government.
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party of Finland The Social Democratic Party of Finland is one of the three major political parties in Finland, along with the Centre Party and the National Coalition Party. Jutta Urpilainen is the current SDP leader. The party has been in the Finnish government cabinet for long periods and has set many... |
257,572 | 28.3 | 60 | 0 |
| Agrarian League 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... |
205,313 | 22.6 | 52 | |
| National Coalition Party | 161,450 | 17.7 | 34 | –4 |
| Swedish People's Party | 111,005 | 12.2 | 24 | |
| Socialist Workers' Party Socialist Workers' Party of Finland Socialist Workers' Party of Finland was a Finnish political party in the early 1920s. The SSTP consisted of radical leftists who split from the Social Democratic Party of Finland after the Finnish Civil War of 1918. The banned Communist Party of Finland was the main force behind the party but... |
109,939 | 12.1 | 20 | |
| National Progressive Party National Progressive Party (Finland) The National Progressive Party was a liberal political party in Finland from 1918 to 1951. The party was founded December 8 1918, after the Finnish Civil War, by the republican majority of the Young Finnish Party and the republican minority of the Finnish Party... |
61,613 | 6.8 | 10 | –7 |
| Peasants' List | 1,341 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Farmers' Party | 784 | 0.1 | 0 | New |
| Others | 1,174 | 0.1 | 0 | – |
| Invalid/blank votes | 4,180 | – | – | – |
| Total | 914,371 | 100 | 200 | 0 |
| Source: | ||||