2007 Finnish parliamentary election
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All 200 seats to the Parliament 101 seats were needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turnout | 65.0% 1.7% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 18 March 2007.[1] Early voting was possible from the 7–13 March. The 200 members of the Eduskunta were elected from 15 constituencies.
Election themes included a reduction of income tax[
Altogether, 2,004 candidates were nominated, 799 of whom were women. About three-quarters of the candidates were nominated by parties currently represented in Parliament. The number of female MPs rose as 84 women were elected (formerly 75), now comprising a record 42% of the 200 MPs.
According to the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, the number of advance voters rose in comparison with the previous election in 2003. After the Tuesday before the Sunday election, when advance voting ended, the voter turnout had already reached 29.2%, which was more than at the same point in the 2003 elections. However, total voter turnout, at 67.8%, fell short of the 2003 figure, 69.7%, reaching a new low since the 1939 elections.
Many prominent MPs decided not to stand in the election. Former Prime Minister (1995–2003) and Speaker of the outgoing Parliament,
The date of the election was near to the 100th anniversary of the first Finnish parliamentary elections, which were held on 15–16 March 1907, and were the first elections held under universal suffrage in Europe.
Electoral system
Some constituencies elect only six or seven MPs, resulting in a high
Results
The elections were a major victory for the opposition National Coalition Party under Jyrki Katainen. It gained ten seats and became the second-largest party in Finland. The main government partners, the Centre Party and the Social Democrats, both lost ground. With the Left Alliance also losing seats, the labour parties received the worst result in the 100-year history of Finnish democracy; for the Social Democrats, the result was the worst since 1962, while the Left Alliance has lost seats in both elections held since 1999. The Centre Party, despite the loss, maintained its position as the biggest party in Parliament, with one seat more than the National Coalition. It was also the only time, except for the parliamentary election of 1930, that the Centre Party and the National Coalition Party together have an absolute majority in Parliament. The outcome led to the formation of a new center-right government and the left-leaning Social Democrats were left out in opposition for the first time since 1995.[5]
Winners also include the
Incumbent Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, as party leader of the Centre Party, formed a new government with
The election was a major defeat (8 seats lost, 15% fewer won than in 2003) for the Social Democrats, and sparked an internal investigation. The party conducted a campaign that had a simplistic anti-Conservative message. Meanwhile, the trade union SAK, strongly associated with SDP, conducted a similar anti-Conservative campaign. The association between the two organizations was abundantly clear, as the SDP's chairman
As many as eight very small parties were removed from the registry of political parties as a result of their repeated failure to gain seats in the 2003 and 2007 elections: Suomen työväenpuolue (
After the Finnish Parliamentary elections on 18 March 2007, the seats were divided among eight parties as follows:[8][9]
Independence Party 5,541 | 0.20 | 0 | New | | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finnish People's Blue-Whites | 3,913 | 0.14 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Liberals | 3,171 | 0.11 | 0 | 0 | |||||
For the Poor | 2,521 | 0.09 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Communist Workers' Party – For Peace and Socialism | 2,007 | 0.07 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Workers' Party | 1,764 | 0.06 | 0 | New | |||||
Åland Social Democrats | 1,607 | 0.06 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Patriotic People's Movement | 821 | 0.03 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Joint Responsibility Party | 164 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Others | 1,420 | 0.05 | 0 | – | |||||
Total | 2,771,236 | 100.00 | 200 | 0 | |||||
Valid votes | 2,771,236 | 99.30 | |||||||
Invalid/blank votes | 19,516 | 0.70 | |||||||
Total votes | 2,790,752 | 100.00 | |||||||
Registered voters/turnout | 4,292,436 | 65.02 | |||||||
Source: Tilastokeskus[10] |
By province
Province | Centre | National Coalition | Social Democratic | Left Alliance | Green League | Christian League
|
Swedish People's | True Finns
|
Other | Electorate | Votes | Valid | Invalid |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Southern Savonia |
30,759 | 15,530 | 22,704 | 1,419 | 5,714 | 2,925 | 0 | 2,653 | 531 | 131,962 | 83,064 | 82,235 | 829 |
Northern Savonia |
45,607 | 21,696 | 24,760 | 14,253 | 5,073 | 10,316 | 0 | 4,334 | 1,210 | 203,878 | 127,993 | 127,249 | 744 |
North Karelia | 30,391 | 10,041 | 26,942 | 2,163 | 9,955 | 2,574 | 0 | 2,428 | 747 | 136,308 | 85,743 | 85,241 | 502 |
Kainuu | 18,565 | 4,216 | 4,666 | 9,877 | 1,143 | 1,166 | 0 | 1,863 | 331 | 69,657 | 42,084 | 41,827 | 257 |
Uusimaa | 73,802 | 219,607 | 152,262 | 50,274 | 110,217 | 25,917 | 48,328 | 34,274 | 16,718 | 1,098,278 | 737,007 | 731,399 | 5,608 |
Eastern Uusimaa | 5,510 | 8,859 | 9,075 | 2,416 | 3,941 | 1,143 | 14,984 | 2,760 | 571 | 73,877 | 49,586 | 49,259 | 327 |
Southwest Finland | 38,610 | 66,793 | 53,281 | 25,937 | 22,868 | 11,377 | 13,369 | 6,168 | 5,662 | 372,966 | 245,571 | 244,065 | 1,506 |
Tavastia Proper |
19,696 | 19,457 | 27,939 | 6,863 | 5,687 | 6,924 | 0 | 1,824 | 1,375 | 135,934 | 90,528 | 89,765 | 763 |
Päijänne Tavastia |
18,687 | 27,251 | 24,963 | 8,882 | 5,941 | 7,652 | 0 | 2,358 | 3,614 | 162,621 | 100,172 | 99,348 | 824 |
Kymenlaakso | 19,724 | 23,606 | 25,983 | 9,901 | 4,432 | 5,978 | 0 | 5,671 | 636 | 152,153 | 96,719 | 95,931 | 788 |
South Karelia | 19,974 | 15,586 | 20,573 | 1,826 | 3,645 | 5,034 | 0 | 3,228 | 588 | 111,798 | 71,035 | 70,454 | 581 |
Central Finland | 47,058 | 21,008 | 34,710 | 10,561 | 9,859 | 11,142 | 0 | 3,616 | 3,849 | 219,648 | 142,704 | 141,803 | 901 |
Southern Ostrobothnia |
52,803 | 21,457 | 12,254 | 3,259 | 1,548 | 4,532 | 243 | 9,237 | 1,428 | 157,666 | 107,258 | 106,761 | 497 |
Ostrobothnia | 9,275 | 10,116 | 12,055 | 6,192 | 1,462 | 7,430 | 47,390 | 2,436 | 774 | 149,323 | 97,713 | 97,130 | 583 |
Satakunta | 31,045 | 26,799 | 36,527 | 14,958 | 4,324 | 3,003 | 0 | 6,726 | 1,561 | 191,729 | 125,777 | 124,943 | 834 |
Pirkanmaa | 40,458 | 62,995 | 59,865 | 24,161 | 22,024 | 15,655 | 0 | 12,044 | 13,298 | 380,804 | 252,153 | 250,500 | 1,653 |
Central Ostrobothnia | 16,445 | 2,528 | 6,411 | 1,891 | 533 | 4,957 | 2,206 | 2,781 | 308 | 58,148 | 38,280 | 38,060 | 220 |
Northern Ostrobothnia |
80,248 | 27,771 | 24,629 | 27,110 | 12,959 | 6,124 | 0 | 6,123 | 2,339 | 298,260 | 188,407 | 187,303 | 1,104 |
Lapland | 41,771 | 11,525 | 14,595 | 22,353 | 3,104 | 941 | 0 | 1,732 | 774 | 162,315 | 97,442 | 96,795 | 647 |
Source: European Election Database Archived 2021-06-24 at the Wayback Machine |
References
- ^ Election Guide
- ^ The Green Party published its manifesto in English
- ^ Porvarihallitus: Yritysraha nosti porvarit valtaan, accessed 28.3.2011.
- ^ Conservatives thrashed SDP in Finnish vote
- ^ Ritter, Karl (19 March 2007). "Governing Center Party edges opposition in Finnish election". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 27 November 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "SAK "Ruokapöytä"". YouTube.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "SAK "Takkahuone"". YouTube.
- ^ "Yle.fi | Vaalit 2007 tulospalvelu - Koko maa - puolueiden kannatus". Archived from the original on 2007-03-20. Archived 2007-03-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Svenska.yle.fi | Val 2007 resultatservice - Hela landet - Stödet för partierna". Archived from the original on 2007-03-20. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
- ^ Eduskuntavaalit 1927–2003 Tilastokeskus 2004
External links
- Ministry of Justice election site (in English)
- History of Finnish Parliament (in English)
- Centenary of women's full political rights in Finland (in English)
- Election site of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) (in English)
- Finland getting centre-right government with a shade of green -Helsingin Sanomat
- Would you vote for someone with a face like yours? -Reuters
- Political campaigning to continue on election day -Helsingin Sanomat
- Advance voting for Parliamentary Elections begins today -Helsingin Sanomat
- Poll: Centre Party leads in advance of Sunday election -Helsingin Sanomat
- Poll: Centre-SDP government overwhelming favourite -Helsingin Sanomat
- Finnish MP seeks votes in Klingon -Reuters
- NSD: European Election Database - Finland publishes regional level election data; allows for comparisons of election results, 1991–2007