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2 Commonly used Party abbreviations 3 Registered political parties 4 Former parties 5 See also |
Major political parties
The Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP) is mostly supported by the urban working class but it also has some support among small farmers, white-collar workers, and professionals. In the 1995 parliamentary elections, SDP gained a plurality in Finland's parliament with 28% of the vote. But as it won far less than an overall majority, a five-party governing coalition was formed, baptized the "Rainbow-coalition". In the 1999 general election, the SDP maintained its plurality with 22.9%, but the Center party came in as a near second with 22.4%. The coalition continued with little changes.
The Leftist Alliance (LA), the SDP's rival on the left, gained 11% of the vote in 1995 and joined the SDP-led cabinet. In the 1999 elections it again got 11% of the vote, and remained in cabinet. The LA was formed in May 1990 and replaced the People's Democratic League, the group that represented the Finnish Communist Party in the Eduskunta. Political activity by Communists was legalized after the Continuation War in 1944.
Finland's two other major parties are the Center Party (Keskusta), traditionally representing rural interests, and the Conservative National Coalition (Kokoomus), which draws its major support from the business community and urban professionals. The Center won nearly 20% and the Conservatives 18% of the vote in 1995. In the 1995 elections, they won 22.9% and 21% of the vote, respectively. The Conservatives were the second-largest party in the SDP-led coalition, which is rounded out by the Swedish People's Party and the Green League (which left the Rainbow-coalition after the decision to build a fifth nuclear reactor).
Commonly used Party abbreviations
Registered political parties
Registered political parties as of March 2003 and their leaders