1945 Finnish parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 17 and 18 March 1945. The broad-based centre-left government of Prime Minister Juho Kusti Paasikivi (National Coalition/Independent) remained in office after the elections.

Background

The communists could, for the first time since 1929, freely present their candidates. Through the Finnish People's Democratic League (SKDL), they were able to win over a large section of Social Democratic voters. The Patriotic People's Movement (IKL) had been banned by the time of the election. Prime Minister Paasikivi urged in February 1945 Finnish voters to elect "new faces" to Parliament, which they certainly did: almost half of the 200 deputies were new. Some wartime deputies, including Social Democrat Väinö Tanner and Agrarian Viljami Kalliokoski, decided voluntarily not to seek re-election, because under the new political climate (Finland's desire to establish friendly relations with the Soviet Union), their wartime political activities, including their association with the informal Finnish-German military alliance, looked suspicious. The right-wing and centrist parties had to campaign carefully, so as not to appear anti-Soviet, while the Communists could loudly and vigorously accuse the right-wing and centrist parties of accepting their ban from open political activity, which had lasted from 1930 to 1944. One major economic issue in these elections was the continued scarcity of goods caused by the wartime rationing. Communists promised the impoverished voters a quick improvement in their living standards, and also other major parties promised more prosperity in the starting peacetime. These promises were made despite the still limited Finnish foreign trade - World War II would only end in Europe in May and in Asia in September - and the heavy burden which the Soviet Union's war reparations payments imposed on the Finnish economy.[1][2][3]

Results

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Social Democratic Party of Finland	425,948	25.08	50	–35
	Finnish People's Democratic League	398,618	23.47	49	New
	Agrarian League	362,662	21.35	49	–7
	National Coalition Party	255,394	15.04	28	+3
	Swedish People's Party	134,106	7.90	14	–4
	National Progressive Party	87,868	5.17	9	+3
	Small Farmers Party	20,061	1.18	0	–2
	Swedish Left	8,192	0.48	1	+1
	Radical People's Party	1,623	0.10	0	New
	Others	3,904	0.23	0	0
Total		1,698,376	100	200	0
Source: Tilastokeskus 2004,[4] Suomen virallinen tilasto[5]

Popular vote SDP   25.08% SKDL   23.47% ML   21.35% KOK   15.04% RKP   7.90% ED   5.17% PMP   1.18% Others   0.81%

Parliament seats SDP   25.00% SKDL   24.50% ML   24.50% KOK   14.00% RKP   7.00% ED   4.50% Others   0.50%

References

1. Seppo Zetterberg et al., eds., A Small Giant of the Finnish History / Suomen historian pikkujättiläinen, Helsinki: WSOY, 2003
2. Sakari Virkkunen, Finland's Presidents I / Suomen presidentit I, Helsinki: WSOY, 1994
3. Martti Turtola, Risto Ryti: A Life for the Fatherland / Risto Ryti. Elämä isänmaan puolesta, Helsinki: Otava, 1994
4. "595. Eduskuntavaalit 1927–2003 (Tilastokeskus 2004)
5. Suomen virallinen tilasto 29 A, Kansanedustajain vaalit, XX.