Finnish parliamentary election, 1958
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| This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Finland |
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Legislative
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Foreign policy
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Year 1958 Eduskunta election took place 6–7 July 1958. As the result of the election Democratic Alliance of the Finnish People has been one of a few cases for a communist party to have become the dominant party in a Western European country during the Cold War. However, coalition government was formed without Communists' participation.
The Issues, Campaign and Results
Between March 1956, when Urho Kekkonen (Agrarian) had become President and July 1958, the date of this parliamentary election, Finland had had four governments: Fagerholm's (Social Democrat) majority government, V.J. Sukselainen's (Agrarian) minority government, and two civil-service caretaker governments, led by the Governor of the Bank of Finland, Rainer von Fieandt and the Chief Justice of Finland's Supreme Administrative Court, Reino Kuuskoski. The Social Democrats and Agrarians found it difficult to work together in the government, which significantly reduced Finland's chances of having a stable government, because the two other large or fairly large parties, the Communists and National Coalitioners, were excluded from the government. In addition, the Social Democrats had been split into two parties since Mr. Väinö Tanner, a veteran Social Democrat and a former political prisoner (one of the eight "war culprits" after World War II), had very narrowly been elected the Social Democratic leader over Fagerholm in July 1957. The Social Democrats were among Kekkonen's chief opponents and wanted to defeat him in the 1962 presidential election. President Kekkonen wanted to defeat them politically, and thus their split into the majority and the minority, the so-called Skogists (after former Defence Minister Emil Skog) helped him move closer towards that goal. In addition, Finland suffered from a recession and, by that time's standards, a high unemployment rate, which helped the Communists to increase their support. After these parliamentary elections, Fagerholm formed his third government, which included the Social Democrats, Agrarians, National Coalitioners, Swedish People's Party and Liberals (People's Party), in August 1958. Already when he appointed Fagerholm's government, President Kekkonen indicated that he would not help it if it encountered problems. Soon the government ran into difficulties: the Soviet Union interrupted its trade negotiations with Finland, and in November or December 1958, the Soviet ambassador to Finland returned to the Soviet Union. These "night frosts," along with President Kekkonen's and the other Agrarians' opposition (Foreign Minister Virolainen resigned from the government at the beginning of December 1958, and former Assistant Finance Minister Karjalainen wrote that it was time for the wise people to leave the government), caused Fagerholm to tender his resignation in December 1958. Sukselainen formed another centrist minority government in January 1959, while Kekkonen visited the Soviet Union where the Soviet leader Khrushchev assured him that all was again well in the Finnish-Soviet relations (see, for example, Seppo Zetterberg et al., eds., A Small Giant of the Finnish History / Suomen historian pikkujättiläinen, Helsinki: WSOY, 2003; Johannes Virolainen, The Last Electoral Term / Viimeinen vaalikausi, Helsinki: Otava, 1991; www.vn.fi (the Finnish government's website)).
| Turnout | 75.0%[1][2] | −4.9 |
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| party | seats | votes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| oproportion | amount | |||||
| Finnish People's Democratic League | 50 | +7 | 23.16% | +1.6 | 450,220 | +16,969 |
| Social Democratic Party of Finland | 48 | −6 | 23.12% | −3.1 | 449,536 | −77,558 |
| Agrarian League | 48 | −5 | 23.06% | −1.0 | 448,364 | −35,594 |
| National Coalition Party | 29 | +5 | 15.28% | +2.5 | 297,094 | +40,069 |
| Swedish People's Party | 13 | +1 | 6.50% | −0.3 | 126,365 | −9,403 |
| People's Party of Finland | 8 | −5 | 5.90% | −2.0 | 114,617 | −43,706 |
| Social Democratic Opposition | 3 | – | 1.75% | – | 33,947 | – |
| Liberal League | 0.33% | −0.0 | 6,424 | −386 | ||
| Åländsk Samling | 1 | -- | 0.28% | +0.1 | 5,487 | +836 |
| Opposition of Agrarian League | 0.26% | – | 5,057 | – | ||
| Christian League of Finland | 0.17% | – | 3,358 | – | ||
| List of Free Citizens and Centre | 0.16% | – | 3,033 | – | ||
| List of Free Economy | 0.02% | – | 331 | – | ||
| League of People's Cooperation | 0.01% | – | 160 | – | ||
| Others | 0.01% | −0.0 | 242 | −95 | ||
| Total | 200 | -- | 100% | 1,944,235 | −64,022 | |
| Souorce: Tilastokeskus 2004;[3] Votes of Christian League of Finland, List of Free Citizens and Centre, List of Free Economy and League of People's Cooperation only in print version.[4] | ||||||
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References
- ^ Naisten ja miesten äänestysaktiivisuus eduskuntavaaleissa 1908–2003 (Tilastokeskus 1.6.2005)
- ^ Eduskuntavaalit 1907–2003 (Oikeusministeriö)
- ^ Tiedosto "595. Eduskuntavaalit 1927–2003 (Tilastokeskus 2004)
- ^ Suomen virallinen tilasto 29 A, Kansanedustajain vaalit XXVI(?)
