Democratic Union of the Finnish People

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Suomen Kansan Demokraattinen Liitto
Demokratiska Förbundet för Finlands Folk
Democratic Union of the Finnish People
SKDL logo
Party leader Reijo Käkelä (1988–1990)
Secretary General Salme Kandolin (1988–1990)
founding October 29, 1944
resolution 1990
Youth organization Finnish Democratic Youth Association
newspaper Vapaa Sana (1944–1956)
Kansan Uutiset (1957–1990)
Alignment Socialism , Communism , Marxism-Leninism
Colours) red

The Finnish People's Democratic League ( Finnish Suomen Kansan Demokraattinen Liitto abbreviated SKDL; Swedish Demokratiska Förbundet för Finlands Folk , abbreviated DFFF) was as popular Democrat known left party alliance in Finland .

history

The SKDL was founded in October 1944 on the initiative of the Communist Party of Finland (SKP). The aim was given to unite all progressive forces in the country. In addition to the SKP, the following parties joined the alliance:

  • the Labor Party (a left-wing split from the Social Democrats under Mauno Pekkala ) and
  • Vapaa Sana ("Das Freie Wort") (a social democratic group, named after the newspaper of the same name, under the leadership of Karl H. Wiik )

and 1973

  • the Socialist Workers' Party (a split from the Social-Democratic League that emerged from the SDP).

In the parliamentary elections in March 1945, the SKDL won 49 seats, whereupon it joined the government. Mauno Pekkala held the post of Prime Minister from 1946 to 1948. After that, the People's Democrats were an opposition party until 1966. In the parliamentary elections in 1958, the SKDL became the strongest force and participation in the government appeared promising; however, the social democrat Karl-August Fagerholm formed a grand coalition with the peasant party and the conservatives ; until 1982 they were again members of the government with almost no interruption. Almost without exception, the SKDL was led by non-communist chairmen; however, the supporters of the SKP always dominated. The best result was achieved in the parliamentary elections in 1958 with 50 seats. This made the People's Democrats the strongest group .

In the 1980s, the SKP split into a strictly Marxist-Leninist wing and an emphatically Eurocommunist wing. This was also reflected within the SKDL: The members loyal to Moscow left the alliance and re-established themselves as the Democratic Alternative (DeVa). In 1990, the SKDL for its part went into the left alliance . Most recently, the number of representatives in the Reichstag was reduced to 16; in the 1987 parliamentary elections, the alliance only received 9.39 percent of the vote.

The People's Democrats played an important role in the 1956 presidential election . By clever tactics they helped to get the candidate of the Landbund , Urho Kekkonen , into office. Kekkonen was considered to be more inclined to the Soviet Union than any other candidate. In the 1962 presidential election, SKDL candidate Paavo Aitio lost a lot to Kekkonen, whom the People's Democrats officially supported in the two subsequent elections.

Election results

Parliamentary elections

Election results in parliamentary elections
1945 1948 1951 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1972 1975 1979 1983 1987
choice Mandates
(of 200)
be right percent
1945 49 398,618 23.47
1948 38 375,538 19.88
1951 43 391.134 21.58
1954 43 433.251 21.57
1958 50 450.220 23.16
1962 47 506,829 22.02
1966 41 502.374 21.20
1970 36 420,556 16.58
1972 37 438,757 17.02
1975 40 519.483 18.89
1979 35 518.045 17.49
1983 27 400,930 13.46
1987 16 270,433 09.39

Local elections

choice Mandates be right percent
1945 2,496 275,324
1947 2.005 314.156 20.4
1950 2,517 347.102 23.04
1953 2,546 406.324 23.10
1956 2,272 353.967 21.17
1960 2,409 432.146 22.01
1964 2,417 470,550 21.94
1968 1,770 382,882 16.91
1972 1,731 437.130 17.48
1976 2,050 494.920 18.45
1980 1,835 456.177 16.64
1984 1,482 354,582 13.15
1988 1,209 270,532 10.29

Presidential election

choice candidate Indirect choice
electors be right percent
1950 Mauno Pekkala 67 338.035 21.43
1956 One kilpi 56 354,575 18.69
1962 Paavo Aitio 63 451,750 20.5
1968 Support Urho Kekkonens (center) 56 345,609 16.95
1978 Support Urho Kekkonens (center) 56 445.098 18.18
1982 Kalevi Kivistö 32 348.359 11.0
choice candidate Indirect choice Direct choice
electors be right percent be right percent
1988 Kalevi Kivistö ( Liike 88 ) 26th 286.833 9.61 330,072 10.67

Leadership politician

Party leader:

General Secretaries:

literature

  • John H. Hodgson: The Left in Finnish Politics . In: Hans Rühle , Hans-Joachim Veen (Hrsg.): Socialist and Communist Parties in Western Europe. Publication of the social science research institute of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung . Volume 2: Nordländer (= Uni-Taschenbücher . Vol. 762). Leske + Budrich (UTB), Opladen 1979, ISBN 3-8100-0241-0 . Pp. 293-336.