1929 Finnish parliamentary election
1–2 July 1929
All 200 seats in the Parliament of Finland
101 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Pekka Heikkinen Matti Paasivuori Kyösti Haataja
Party Agrarian SDP National Coalition
Last election 22.56%, 52 seats 28.30%, 60 seats 17.74%, 34 seats
Seats won 60 59 28
Seat change Increase 8 Decrease 1 Decrease 6
Popular vote 248,762 260,254 138,008
Percentage 26.15% 27.36% 14.51%
Swing Increase 3.59pp Decrease 0.94pp Decrease 3.23pp
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Eric von Rettig Oskari Mantere
Party STPV RKP National Progressive
Last election 12.08%, 20 seats 12.20%, 24 seats 6.77%, 10 seats
Seats won 23 23 7
Seat change Increase 3 Decrease 1 Decrease 3
Popular vote 128,164 108,886 53,301
Percentage 13.47% 11.45% 5.60%
Swing Increase 1.39pp Decrease 0.75pp Decrease 1.17pp
Prime Minister before election

Väinö Tanner
SDP

 Prime Minister after election

Juho Sunila
Agrarian

Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 1 and 2 July 1929.[1] The result was a victory for the Agrarian League, which won 60 of the 200 seats in Parliament. Voter turnout was 55.6%.[2]

Background

President Relander, an Agrarian, believed that the Finnish civil servants should get a pay raise, after a long period of frozen salaries, that had caused them to lose a significant amount of purchasing power. Most of his fellow Agrarians opposed him and the Progressive minority government of Prime Minister Mantere on this issue, arguing that the civil servants, on average, were still clearly better paid than the agricultural workers. After the Finnish Parliament rejected the government's legislative proposal on the increase of civil servants' salaries in April 1929, President Relander dissolved Parliament and called early elections for July. The Agrarians and Communists campaigned on the rejection of the civil servants' proposed salary increases, and both parties gained seats. The National Coalitioners and Progressives who favoured the salary increases suffered a defeat. President Relander was displeased by the Agrarians' victory, because he could not get along well with their leader, Mr. Kallio, but he reluctantly appointed Kallio as Prime Minister of an Agrarian minority government after the elections.[3][4]

Results

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Agrarian League248,76226.1560+8
Social Democratic Party260,25427.3659–1
National Coalition Party138,00814.5128–6
Electoral Organisation of Socialist Workers and Smallholders128,16413.4723+3
Swedish People's Party108,88611.4523–1
National Progressive Party53,3015.607–3
Small Farmers' Party10,1541.070New
Peasant People's Party–Farmers' Party1,2580.1300
Others2,4830.260–
Total951,270100.002000
Valid votes951,27099.47
Invalid/blank votes5,0260.53
Total votes956,296100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,719,56755.61
Source: Nohlen & Stöver, Tilastokeskus 2004,[5] Lackman[6]

References

  1. ↑ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p606 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. ↑ Nohlen & Stöver, p607
  3. ↑ Seppo Zetterberg et al., eds., A Small Giant of the Finnish History / Suomen historian pikkujättiläinen, Helsinki: WSOY, 2003
  4. ↑ Sakari Virkkunen, Finland's Presidents I / Suomen presidentit I, Helsinki: WSOY, 1994
  5. ↑ Tiedosto "595. Eduskuntavaalit 1927–2003 (Tilastokeskus 2004)
  6. ↑ Matti Lackman: Taistelu talonpojasta (Pohjoinen 1985), s. 133.
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