Parliamentary election in Finland 1939

← 1936Parliamentary election in Finland 19391945 →

Result (in%)

 %

40

30th

20th

10

0

39.8

22.9

13.6

9.6

6.7

4.8

2.1

0.5

SDP

ML

COOK

RKP

ICL

ED

PMP

Otherwise.

Gains and losses

compared to 1936

 % p

   4th

   2

   0

  -2

  -4

+1.2

+0.5

+3.2

-1.6

-1.6

-1.5

-0.5

+0.3

SDP

ML

COOK

RKP

ICL

ED

PMP

Otherwise.

Distribution of seats

       

A total of 200 seats

• PMP : 2
• SDP : 85
• ED : 6
• RKP : 18
• ML : 56
• KOK : 25
• ICL : 8

The parliamentary elections in Finland in 1939 ( Finnish Eduskuntavaalit 1939 ; Swedish Riksdagsvalet 1939 ) took place on July 1 and 2, 1939. It was the election to the 17th Finnish parliament .

The last parliamentary elections on July 1 and 2, 1936 initially resulted in a minority government under Kyösti Kallio from the Landbund. In March 1937 Kyöst Kallio became Finnish President and Aimo Cajander of the small Progress Party formed as his successor a majority coalition made up of the Social Democrats, the Landbund, the Swedish People's Party and the Progress Party. This government managed to secure a broad level of trust among the population. After the difficult economic period around 1930, the situation improved noticeably. The government paved the way to the welfare state with laws, including the introduction of a legally guaranteed annual vacation. In foreign policy, the goal of neutrality and partnership with the other Scandinavian countries was pursued.

The Social Democrats, who were steadily winning in the last parliamentary elections, surpassed the 500,000 mark for the first time. In parliament they now had 85 of the 200 seats, two more than before. The Landbund, which, like the Social Democrats, had also been represented in the government so far, gained three sizes. The conservative collection party brought in the strongest profits. She was able to add five more to her previous 20 seats. In contrast, the former electoral alliance partner of the gathering party, the Patriotic People's Movement, lost six seats.

Participating parties

Eight different parties ran for election.

The following parties were already represented in parliament:

Political party		Alignment	Top candidate
	Social Democratic Party of Finland Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue (SDP) Finlands Socialdemokratiska Parti	social democratic	Kaarlo Harvala
	Landbund Maalaisliitto (ML) Agrarförbundet	social liberal	Petter Heikkinen
	Swedish People's Party Ruotsalainen Kansanpuolue (RKP) Svenska Folkpartiet (SFP)	liberal	Ernst von Born
	National Collection Party Kansallinen Kokoomus (KOK) Samlingspartiet	conservative	Pekka Pennanen
	Patriotic People's Movement Isämaallinnen Kansanliike (IKL) Fosterländska Folkrörelsen	nationalist	Vilho Annala
	National Progressive Party Kansallinen Edistyspuolue (ED) Framstegspartiet	liberal	Aimo Kaarlo Cajander
	Smallholder and Rural People's Party Suomen Pienviljelijäin ja Maalaiskansan Puolue (PMP)	left-wing populist

Election result

The turnout was 66.6 percent, 3.7 percentage points higher than the turnout in the last parliamentary election in 1936.

Result of the parliamentary election in Finland in 1939

Political party		be right			Seats
		number	%	+/-	number	+/-
	Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP)	515.980	39.77	+1.18	85	+2
	Land Federation (ML)	296,529	22.86	+0.45	56	+3
	National Collection Party (KOK)	176.215	13.58	+3.22	25th	+5
	Swedish People's Party (RKP)	124,720	9.61	−1.59	18th	−3
	Patriotic People's Movement (ICL)	86,219	6.65	−1.69	8th	−6
	National Progressive Party (ED)	62,387	4.81	−1.47	6th	−1
	Small Farmers and Rural People's Party (PMP) (*)	27,783	2.14	−0.46	2	-
	Swedish Left (RV)	5,980	0.46	+0.46	-	-
	Others	1,506	0.12	−0.09	-	-
total		1,297,319	100.00		200
Valid votes		1,297,319	99.61
Invalid votes		5,029	0.39
voter turnout		1,302,348	66.56
Eligible voters		1,956,807	100.00
Source:

• (*) Comparative value: 1936 election result of the Small Farmers' Party of Finland and the People's Party combined

After the election

Less than five months after the election, the winter war of 1939/40 began with the invasion of Soviet soldiers . The Cajander III cabinet, which had formed the government since March 12, 1937, was replaced shortly afterwards on December 1, 1939 by the Ryti I cabinet under Prime Minister Risto Ryti of the Progressive Party. This coalition of Social Democrats, Landbundes, Swedish People's Party and Progress Party remained in office until March 27, 1940, two weeks after the end of the Winter War. Then Risto Ryti formed a government to which all parties except the Patriotic People's Movement and the Small Peasant Party belonged. This "war coalition" was held under various Prime Ministers until 1944, with the Patriotic People's Movement and the small farmers also being included in the government in the meantime. After the end of the Continuation War, the rallying party resigned from the government. The non-party Juho Kusti Paasikivi, who had already been Prime Minister for six months in 1918, now took over the office of Prime Minister. Legalized People's Democrats ( SKDL ) dominated by the Finnish Communist Party SKP were now represented in this government .

The Social Democratic Party expelled six MPs from the party in 1940/41, as they demanded the start of peace negotiations with the Soviet Union. The six then founded a Socialist parliamentary group , which was dissolved in 1942, however, as its members were arrested for political reasons.

Overview of the cabinets:

23. Cabinet Ryti I - Risto Ryti (Progressive Party) - Government: Social Democrats, Landbund, Sweden, Progressive Party (December 1, 1939 to March 27, 1940)
24. Cabinet Ryti II - Risto Ryti (Progressive Party) - Government: Social Democrats, Landbund, Collection Party, Sweden, Progressive Party (March 27, 1940 to January 4, 1941)
25. Cabinet Rangell - Jukka Rangell (Progressive Party) - Government: Social Democrats, Landbund, Collection Party, Sweden, Progressive Party, Fatherly. People movement (January 4, 1941 to March 5, 1943)
26. Cabinet Linkomies - Edwin Linkomies (Collection Party) - Government: Social Democrats, Landbund, Collection Party, Sweden, Progress Party (March 5, 1943 to August 8, 1944)
27. Cabinet Hackzell - Anders Hackzell (independent) - Government: Social Democrats, Landbund, Collection Party, Sweden, Progressive Party (August 8, 1944 to September 21, 1944)
28. Cabinet Urho Castrén - Urho Castrén (Collection Party) - Government: Social Democrats, Landbund, Collection Party, Sweden, Progress Party (September 21, 1944 to November 17, 1944)
29. Cabinet Paasikivi II - Juho Kusti Paasikivi (independent) - Government: Social Democrats, Landbund, Sweden, Progress Party, People's Democrats (previously Social Democrats) (November 17, 1944 to April 17, 1945)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Official result of the 1939 general election yle.fi (Finnish)
2. ↑ Eduskuntavaalit 1907–2003 ( Memento of January 24, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), vaalit.fi, PDF file (Finnish)
3. ↑ Eduskuntavaalit vuosina 1939 ja 1945 doria.fi , PDF file (Finnish)

Web links

• History in postage stamps