Social democrat party of Finland

The social democrat Left Finland (in Finnish: Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue , SDP ; in Swedish: Finlands Socialdemokratiska Parti ) is a Political party Finnish, Social-démocrate, founded in 1899. He is member of the European Socialist party and the Internationale Socialist.

Following the example Left the Center (agrarian) and Started from Coalition (preserving), the SDP was one of the great Finnish parties of the XXe century and remains the political main force of the country. Consequently, there ensured many recoveries the exercise of the capacity since the Sixties and remains a partner impossible to circumvent in the post-electoral negotiations governing the formation of the government coalitions.

In addition, since 1982, the SDP systematically succeeded in making elect with the Presidency of the Republic its candidate: thus followed one another this station Mauno Koivisto (1982-1994), Martti Ahtisaari (1994-2000) and today Tarja Halonen (since 2000, re-elected in 2006 per six years) all social democrats.

During its creation, and until the first world war, the SDP will be essential like the first party of Finland, joining together with him only between 30% and 47% of the voices as from the introduction of the vote for all. Nevertheless, like the majority of the socialist parties and social democrats, it makes to the object of a scission to the beginning of the year twenty between social democrats and holding Communists of the line dictated by the Komintern.

During the inter-war period, the SDP accepts the rules of the game democratic, but remains isolated government, which it will integrate only during the conflict, within the framework of a " Union nationale". Its electoral audience will be stabilized then around 20-25% and remains anchored since to this low water level.

At present, the SDP counts 60.000 members. It is chaired by Eero Heinäluoma.

At the time of the legislative elections of 2007, the SDP obtained 45 seats (out of 200) with the Eduskunta, arriving in third position. The current government being mainly the union of the Coalition and the Center, SDP fell in opposition.

History

Of Marxist inspiration, the SDP is created in 1889 under the name of Working Parti of Finland and will take its current name only in 1893. Its audience within the Finnish population quickly will grow, but it will remain a political clout extra-member of Parliament until the introduction of the vote for all in 1906. At the time of these first elections, he manages to obtain more than 40% of the voices and is essential like the first party of the country.

Implied at the sides of the troops Bolsheviks in the civil war of 1918, the party is bloodless at the end of this one, marked by the victory of the " blancs". The major part of its persons in charge indeed then died, captive or in exile in Moscow. Who more is, like the major part of the socialist movements at the time, the SDP is the object of deep division between Marxist-Leninists wishing adhesion with the Comintern (which leaves the SDP to found SKP, this new formation being quickly prohibited in Finland) and holding of a social democrat line and reformist, conforms to the taken action pre-war period.

At the time of the elections of 1919, under the aegis Väinö To tan, preserves its positions however by carrying 80 of the 200 seats of the Parliament. But, during the following years, division between SDP and SKP are felt more clearly in term of result.

During the major part of the inter-war period, the mistrust of the moderate and preserving formations in its connection will lead the SDP to remain the principal party of opposition, taking part only episodically in the government during the year 1926.

It will be completely reinstated in the political game only after the release of the second world war, during the war of winter, under the presidency of Kyösti Kallio.

At the conclusion of the War of Continuation (1941-44), the USSR constrained Finland has to legalize the existence of SKP, under the name of SKDL (League Democratic of the people of Finland) and the years of post-war period will be marked on the left by a wild competition between Communists and social democrats, during whom the SDP will choose to support with the parties " bourgeois" , a line privileging first of all defense of the parliamentary democracy and Finnish sovereignty in a strict neutrality with regard to the blocks and contrary to the line of the Communist party, which leads other than this last of the ministerial cabinet and involves critical sharp of the USSR with regard to the SDP.

In 1956, Karl-August Fagerholm, candidate of the SDP, loses the presidential election with only two votes of delay on the agrarian chief Urho Kekkonen. It makes a success of nevertheless a few months later has to form a minority government with the support of the conservatives of the Parti the national Coalition (KOK) and small parts located at the center of the political chessboard. Nevertheless, the Soviet pressure with regard to the Fagerholm Cabinet will lead this one to the resignation in 1958, with the profit of a return of agrarian to the capacity.

The reorganization of the party following this episode led to the return at its head of Väinö To tan, a small majority; while the left wing pro-Soviet grouped around the former president of the party Emil Skog decides to make scission and to found the TPSL, (social democrat Union of the Workers and the small Farmers), transitory movement whose members will choose to return to the fold in the Sixties, or to join SKP.

It is only in 1966, period of international relaxation and after the departure To tan, that the SDP obtained the semi-official green light of the USSR to take part in the government, which it did while taking part alternatively in the coalitions carried out by KESK (agrarian, center) and KOK (preserving). Then in 1972, for the first time (except for the Fagerholm interlude), the SDP durably takes the head of the government within the framework of an alliance with KESK, under the aegis of Kalevi Sorsa (1972-75, 1975-79, 1982-85) and of Mauno Koivisto (1979-82), then succeeds in making elect this last with the presidency.

Thereafter, the SDP takes part in the government of the conservative Harri Holkeri, before being found rejected in the opposition between 1991 and 1995, when the enemy brothers of the center-right, KESK and KOK, combined with small formations centrist manage to reform a government exclusively made up of formations " bourgeoises". However, this period cold post-war will be primarily marked by the process of adhesion to the European Union, on the principle of which social democrat, center and preserving positions have which converge.

At the conclusion of this mandature, the SDP returns to the capacity, initially in coalition with KOK then, after the elections of 1999, to the head of a vast coalition " rainbow " composed (in addition to these two parties), from the Greens Vihr, the néo-Communists GO and of the party representing the Swedish minority SFP. In 2003, it yields the post of Prime Minister to the centrists of KESK, arrived at the head, but remains with the government.

External bonds

Official site of the party

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