True Finns
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| True Finns | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Name in Finnish | Perussuomalaiset |
| Name in Swedish | Sannfinländarna |
| Leader | Timo Soini |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Mannerheimintie 40 B 56 FI-00100 HELSINKI |
| Political Ideology | National conservatism, Populism, Euroscepticism |
| Political Position | {{{position}}} |
| European Affiliation | none |
| European Parliament Group | Europe of Freedom and Democracy |
| International Affiliation | n/a |
| Colours | Yellow |
| Website | www.perussuomalaiset.fi (Finnish) |
| See also | Finnish Politics Finnish Parliament |
True Finns (Perussuomalaiset in Finnish or Sannfinländarna in Swedish) is a political party in Finland, founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party.
The party is critical of the European Union and is considered by many to be nationalistic. In the 2003 parliamentary elections, the party gained three seats. In the 2007 Parliamentary Election, the party more than doubled its share of the vote, gaining 2 further seats to give it a total of 5. In the 2008 municipal elections True Finns received 5.4% of votes, being popular among former SDP voters[1]. The party leader Timo Soini is known for his oratorical skills.
Soini was the True Finns candidate in the 2006 Presidential election. He finished fifth out of the eight candidates in the first round, with a vote share of 3.4%.
Contents |
[edit] Election results
[edit] Presidential elections
| Year | Candidate | Votes | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Ilkka Hakalehto | 31 405 | 1.0% |
| 2006 | Timo Soini | 103 368 | 3.4% |
[edit] Parliamentary elections
| Year | MPs | Votes | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1 | 26 440 | 1.0% |
| 2003 | 3 | 43 816 | 1.6% |
| 2007 | 5 | 112 256 | 4.1% |
[edit] Local council elections
| Year | Councillors | Votes | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 138 | 21 999 | 0.9% |
| 2000 | 109 | 14 712 | 0.7% |
| 2004 | 106 | 21 417 | 0.9% |
| 2008 | 442 | 137 446 | 5.4% |
[edit] European parliamentary elections
| Year | MEPs | Votes | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0 | 15 004 | 0.7% |
| 1999 | 0 | 14 712 | 0.8% |
| 2004 | 0 | 21 417 | 0.9% |
| 2009 | 1 | 162 571 | 9.8% |
[edit] Leaders
- Raimo Vistbacka (1995-1997)
- Timo Soini (1997-)
[edit] Historical background as Agrarian party
The founder of the party was Veikko Vennamo, leader of a faction in the Agrarian League (which was renamed Centre Party in 1965). The relations of Veikko Vennamo and the Agrarian League's strong man Urho Kekkonen were icy at best, and after Kekkonen was elected president in 1956 Vennamo decided to start a party on his own.
The Finnish Rural Party (Finnish: Suomen maaseudun puolue; SMP) started as a protest movement, with support from small farmers and the unemployed. The main carrying force was Vennamo, who was charismatic, a good orator and a skilled negotiator. The Rural Party won in its best showing 18 seats in the Finnish parliament (which has 200 seats) and sometimes even managed to join the cabinet. Veikko Vennamo's son, Pekka Vennamo, became the party leader when his father retired in the 1980s. Vennamo Junior had neither the charisma nor the oratorical skills of his father. Other parties noticed this, and the Rural Party was taken again into the cabinet. As a protest movement without a charismatic leader, burdened with ministers participating in unpopular coalitions, the party gradually lost political support.
Agricultural changes proved hard for small farmers, who sold their farms and moved to the cities. The Social Democratic Party was a more credible alternative for the unemployed. Finally, the declining support of the Rural Party forced Vennamo Junior to resign. Some of its members of parliament joined the Centre Party and others retired with Vennamo.
True Finns is popular among leftists who have formerly voted the SDP and the Left Alliance.[1]
See also: Politics of Finland
[edit] References
- ^ a b Party analysis - True Finns won the day. Statistics Finland
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