1945 Finnish parliamentary election

none Finland state-1920 parliamentary 1939 Finnish parliamentary election 1939 1948 Finnish parliamentary election 1948 All 200 seats in the Parliament of Finland 101 17–18 March 1945 130x130px Onni Hiltunen.jpg Onni Hiltunen Social Democratic Party of Finland 85 seats, 39.77% 50 425,948 25.08% 35 14.69pp Cay-Sundstrom-1938.jpg Cay Sundström SKDL – 49 398,618 23.47% new new Viljami-Kalliokoski (cropped).jpg Viljami Kalliokoski Agrarian League (Finland) 56 seats, 22.86% 49 362,662 21.35% 7 1.51pp Linkomies 1956 2.jpg Edwin Linkomies National Coalition Party 25 seats, 13.58% 28 255,394 15.04% 5 1.46pp Sisäministeri Ernst_von Born 30.3.1940 (cropped).jpg Ernst von Born Swedish People's Party of Finland 18 seats, 9.61% 14 4 134,106 7.90% 1.71pp Tyko Tarponen.jpg Tyko Tarponen National Progressive Party (Finland) 6 seats, 4.81% 9 87,868 5.17% 3 0.36pp Swedish Left 0 seats, 0.46% 1 1 8,192 0.48% 0.02pp Juho Kusti Paasikivi Prime Minister National Coalition Party Prime Minister after election Juho Kusti Paasikivi National Coalition Party thumb|Ballot paper Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 17 and 18 March 1945. The broad-based centre-left government of Prime Minister Juho Kusti Paasikivi (National Coalition/Independent) remained in office after the elections. Background The communists could, for the first time since 1929, freely present their candidates. Through the Finnish People's Democratic League (SKDL), they were able to win over a large section of Social Democratic voters. The Patriotic People's Movement (IKL) had been banned by the time of the election. Prime Minister Paasikivi urged in February 1945 Finnish voters to elect "new faces" to Parliament, which they certainly did: almost half of the 200 deputies were new. Some wartime deputies, including Social Democrat Väinö Tanner and Agrarian Viljami Kalliokoski, decided voluntarily not to seek re-election, because under the new political climate (Finland's desire to establish friendly relations with the Soviet Union), their wartime political activities, including their association with the informal Finnish-German military alliance, looked suspicious. The right-wing and centrist parties had to campaign carefully, so as not to appear anti-Soviet, while the Communists could loudly and vigorously accuse the right-wing and centrist parties of accepting their ban from open political activity, which had lasted from 1930 to 1944. One major economic issue in these elections was the continued scarcity of goods caused by the wartime rationing. Communists promised the impoverished voters a quick improvement in their living standards, and also other major parties promised more prosperity in the starting peacetime. These promises were made despite the still limited Finnish foreign trade - World War II would only end in Europe in May and in Asia in September - and the heavy burden which the Soviet Union's war reparations payments imposed on the Finnish economy.Seppo Zetterberg et al., eds., A Small Giant of the Finnish History / Suomen historian pikkujättiläinen, Helsinki: WSOY, 2003Sakari Virkkunen, Finland's Presidents I / Suomen presidentit I, Helsinki: WSOY, 1994Martti Turtola, Risto Ryti: A Life for the Fatherland / Risto Ryti. Elämä isänmaan puolesta, Helsinki: Otava, 1994 Results File:1945 Eduskunta.svg Social Democratic Party 425948 50 –35 Finnish People's Democratic League 398618 49 New Agrarian League 362662 49 –7 National Coalition Party 255394 28 +3 Swedish People's Party 134106 14 –4 National Progressive Party 87868 9 +3 Small Farmers Party 20061 0 –2 Swedish Left 8192 1 +1 Radical People's Party 1623 0 New Others 3904 0 – 0 11875 2284249 Tilastokeskus 2004,"595. Eduskuntavaalit 1927–2003 (Tilastokeskus 2004) Suomen virallinen tilastoSuomen virallinen tilasto 29 A, Kansanedustajain vaalit, XX. By electoral district Electoral districtTotalseatsSeats wonSDPSKDLMLKokRKPKESVCentral Finland1133311East Viipuri174292Häme1143121Lapland81241North Karelia104231North Savo113431North Vaasa811213Oulu1725721Pirkanmaa1143121Satakunta1444321South Savo114241South Vaasa1012223Uusimaa317915621Varsinais-Suomi15352221West Viipuri1552431Total200504949281491Source: Statistics FinlandSuomen virallinen tilasto XXIX A:20: Eduskuntavaalit vuosina 1939 ja 1945 Statistics Finland 1946 References Category:Parliamentary elections in Finland Parliament Finland