1962 Finnish parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 4 and 5 February 1962.[1]

Background

V. J. Sukselainen's second minority government had resigned in 1961, followed by Prime Minister Martti Miettunen's Agrarian first government, also a centrist minority government. In the spring of 1961, Olavi Honka, a former Chancellor of Justice (Attorney General), accepted the presidential candidacy of the Social Democratic Party, National Coalition Party, Swedish People's Party, People's Party, Smallholders' Party and the Liberal League. This Honka Alliance's goal was to defeat President Urho Kekkonen in the presidential elections of January and February 1962. However, their plans were derailed in October 1961 when the Soviet Union sent a diplomatic note to Finland, asking it to participate in negotiations about the two countries' military co-operation. The Soviet government claimed that militarism and neo-Nazism were increasing in West Germany, and that Finland and the Soviet Union would have to negotiate on the basis of the Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance Treaty. In late November 1961, Kekkonen dissolved Parliament and called early elections for February 1962. Shortly thereafter, Honka ended his presidential candidacy "for the fatherland's interest." Kekkonen travelled to Novosibirsk in the Soviet Union, where he negotiated briefly with the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Again Khrushchev assured Kekkonen that all was well in the Finnish-Soviet relations, despite the efforts of "anti-Soviet" Finns to worsen them.

Campaign

The parliamentary elections were held in the first week of February 1962, between the Electoral College elections and the second phase of the presidential elections. The parties that still opposed Kekkonen's re-election had trouble campaigning in both the presidential and the parliamentary elections. After the parliamentary elections, Ahti Karjalainen of the Agrarian League formed a centre-right majority government that remained in office until December 1963. It was replaced by another caretaker government, led by Bureau Chief (a senior civil servant) Reino Lehto.[2]

Results

Party Votes % Seats +/–
Agrarian League528,40923.053+5
Finnish People's Democratic League506,82922.047–3
Social Democratic Party448,93019.538–10
National Coalition Party346,63815.132+3
People's Party of Finland146,0056.313+5
Swedish People's Party140,6896.1130
Social Democratic Union of Workers and Smallholders100,3964.42–1
Smallholders' Party49,7732.20New
Liberal League12,0000.51+1
Centre Party8,6860.40New
Åland Coalition7,2610.310
Smallholders' Party Opposition6,3290.30New
Others530.00
Invalid/blank votes8,092
Total2,310,0901002000
Registered voters/turnout2,714,83885.1
Source: Tilastokeskus 2004[3]
Popular vote
ML
22.95%
SKDL
22.02%
SDP
19.50%
KOK
15.06%
KP
6.34%
RKP
6.11%
TPSL
4.36%
SPP
2.16%
Others
1.49%
Parliament seats
ML
26.50%
SKDL
23.50%
SDP
19.00%
KOK
16.00%
KP
6.50%
RKP
6.50%
TPSL
1.00%
Others
1.00%

References

  1. Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p606 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Seppo Zetterberg (2003) A Small Giant of the Finnish History, WSOY
  3. 595. Eduskuntavaalit 1927–2003 (Tilastokeskus 2004)
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