1924 Finnish parliamentary election

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Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 1 and 2 April 1924.[1] Although the Social Democratic Party remained the largest in Parliament with 60 of the 200 seats, Lauri Ingman of the National Coalition Party formed a centre-right majority government in May 1924. It remained intact until the Agrarians left in November 1924. Voter turnout was 57.4%.[2]

Background[]

President Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg decided to dissolve Parliament in January 1924 and to organise early elections for April 1924, as since August 1923, Parliament had been 27 members short following the arrest of the Communist MPs suspected of treason. Around December 1923 and January 1924, the Social Democrats threatened to withdraw from Parliament, unless early elections were held. Prime Minister Kyösti Kallio opposed the dissolution of Parliament, true to his parliamentary principles, and resigned after Ståhlberg indicated that he would dissolve Parliament. After Kallio's resignation, Ståhlberg appointed a caretaker government of civil servants, led by Professor Aimo Cajander (a Progressive). The 1922 land reform had been enacted, on the initiative of Prime Minister Kallio. The National Coalitioners were becoming more right-wing and less reformist. The Progressives were losing votes to the National Coalitioners and Agrarians, with their brand of petty-bourgeois, urban liberalism losing its appeal in the still heavily agrarian Finland.[3][4]

Results[]

1924 Eduskunta.svg
Party Votes % Seats +/–
Social Democratic Party 255,068 29.0 60 +7
Agrarian League 177,982 20.2 44 –1
National Coalition Party 166,880 19.0 38 +3
Swedish People's Party 105,733 12.0 23 –2
Socialist Workers' Party 91,839 10.4 18 –9
National Progressive Party 79,937 9.1 17 +2
Peasants' List 456 0.1 0 New
Others 1,046 0.1 0
Invalid/blank votes 4,884
Total 883,825 100 200 0
Source: Nohlen & Stöver
Popular vote
SDP
29.02%
ML
20.25%
KOK
18.99%
RKP
12.03%
STPV
10.45%
ED
9.09%
Others
0.17%
Parliament seats
SDP
30.00%
ML
22.00%
KOK
19.00%
RKP
11.50%
STPV
9.00%
ED
8.50%

See also[]

  • Members of the Parliament of Finland, 1924-1927

References[]

  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p606 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. ^ Nohlen & Stöver, p613
  3. ^ Sakari Virkkunen, Finland's Presidents I / Suomen presidentit I, Helsinki: WSOY, 1994
  4. ^ Seppo Zetterberg et al., eds., A Small Giant of the Finnish History / Suomen historian pikkujättiläinen, Helsinki: WSOY, 2003
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