Finnish parliamentary election, 1948
- SKDL: 38
- SDP: 54
- ED: 5
- RKP: 14
- ML: 56
- KOK: 33
The parliamentary elections in Finland 1948 was held on 1 and 2 July 1948. It was the election of the 19th Parliament of Finland.
The choice led to substantial losses for the hitherto strongest force, the People's Democrats who previously presented the Prime Minister Mauno Pekkala with. The Social Democrats and the Agrarian League, however, won votes.
Starting position
Before the election, there had been a major campaign against the Communist Party emerged from the People's Democratic Union. Mauno Pekkala, even social democratic People's Democrat, since March 1946 resulted in a government of Social Democrats and People and Land League and the Swedish People's Party. Finland's foreign policy was position between the two great powers in the east and west an issue. Early in 1948, the Soviet Union, Finland had proposed a friendship and mutual assistance pact, which however in the Finnish Parliament was no support. In March 1948, finally detailed discussions between the two countries had started that ended with the fact that the Soviet Union would officially stay out of the Finnish domestic politics. Finally, to support the local Democrats at the polls, gave the Soviet leadership announced in May 1948 that yet due reparations by Finland to the Soviet Union to reduce by half.
Participating parties
There were 8 different parties to choose from.
The following parties were already represented in the Parliament:
Election result
The turnout was 78.2 %, 3.3 percentage points higher than the turnout at the last parliamentary election, 1945.
The People's Democrats lost eleven seats. Strongest force in parliament was due to the Finnish electoral system now the Land League, while being less votes than the Social Democratic Party, which also won, received, but added won seven seats in Parliament and was thus two seats in front of the Social Democrats. The liberal Progressive Party, which had repeatedly asked the Prime Minister in the prewar period, received only 3.9 % of the votes and could take only five parliamentary seats.
After the election
The Social Democrat Karl- August Fagerholm was elected after the election of the Prime Minister. His cabinet included with the exception of the non-party foreign minister Carl Enckell to only members of the social democratic SDP. This minority government was able to hold on until the beginning of 1950, before Urho Kekkonen was elected by the Land League by using the Progress Party and the Swedish People's Party head of a new minority government. However, after ten months Kekkonen took the Socialists in the government with.
Meanwhile, the anti-communist forces had effected in Finland, the Finnish police to safeguard the independence Valpo and the national television channels Yleisradio were asked because of alleged Communist infiltration into a corner. Yleisradio was even banned. In addition, it came in 1949 to an amnesty of war as guilty respected politicians ( among others Väinö Tanner of the SDP), who had been sentenced to Soviet pressure before.
Overview of the cabinets:
- 32 ) Cabinet Fagerholm I - Karl- August Fagerholm ( Social Democrats ) - Government: Social Democrats (July 29, 1948 to March 17, 1950 )
- 33 ) Cabinet Kekkonen I - Urho Kekkonen ( Agrarian League ) - Government: Land League, Swedish People's Party, Progressive Party ( March 17, 1950 to 17 January 1951)
- 34 ) Cabinet Kekkonen II - Urho Kekkonen ( Agrarian League ) - Government: Land League, Social Democrats, Swedish People's Party, Progressive Party (January 17, 1951 to September 20, 1951 )