POLITICAL-POLITICAL PARTIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220174-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 12, 2003
• Sequence Number: 174
• Publication Date: April 9, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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MAR 1952 01-41.
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COUNTRY Finland
CLASSIFICATION RES7R-
CENTR . Y
PUBLISHED Yearbook
WHERE
PUBLISHED Helsinki
DATE
PUBLISHED 1951
LANGUAGE Finnish
SUBJECT Polit
HOW
AI .el U.~?~ SiNI S. . 1,. ~?Is[..., I.. Cr ........, ,.]
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DATE DIST. 7 Apr 1953
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
Dk'tA ON 6 1`IN NiSH POLITICAL PARTIES
/omm,-nt This report contains basic information from
Mitd tittss-l Milloin 195= on the six political parties which are
currently reuresented in the Finnish Diet; they are presented
in order of party strength as indicated by the number of the
200 Diet seats held It chou.ld be noted that although the
SKDL claims not to be a political party, it, in fact, is one
The Finnish titles of the parties and of their governing and
other hodies are given because these designations rary from
party to part
y?
.:octal Democratic Party
The Social Democratic Party of Finland (Suomen Sosialidemo rarlttinen
Puolue) wan founded tetween 17 and 20 July 1899 in Turku, Finland, as the,
Workers Party of Finland (Suormvn Ty8v9tenpuolue). The present name va
adopted between 17 and 20 At1Z-ust 1901.
The party's objectives ore to unite those underprivileged classes of
the ropulation that Perform physical labor or do creative work, such as
wage earners and small :"arm.rs who earn their livelihood mainly through
their own labor; to tmrrove the political rights and protection of the
c'p .recsed and the r-xploited through exercise of political action and
cooperation with the social democratic parties of other countries; and to
work for the achievement of social reform and the rearrange'rrnt of the
er_r,lre social economy on n socialistic basis.. To accomplish these ob-
jectives, th- party curries on educational woxk directed at the gnvcrn-
men.t and society, especially the classes of society mentioned above.
The party has three governing bodies, the Party Conference (Puo-
luekokouc) which meets every third year; the Party Council (Puolueneu-
vosto? of 48 members, which meets at least once a year; and the Party
Committee IPuo1,.etolmikunta) ?f 1% n+embers. The party has 15 district
nrgeniz,:,ttons, ljh communal organizations, and 1,587 t.sic organizations.
I'. polled 4::0, 754 popular v,~t:es in the 1951 national Met el.ectio;t and
currently holds 53 of the 200 seats in the Diet.
CLASSIFICATION
ST: ?'L 'X : 'NAVY ?
- r?
'r I ~~Iil ~ I,SO 6
iCTED
ISTRI
eunort j
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Emil Skog and Aleksi Aaltonen are chairman and vice-chairnan, re.-
spect.ively, of the Party Commrittee. Diet Member Pdin8 Leskinen is the
p`ie'ty aecietaryy, and Veilrko Puskala is secretary for party organizations.
Party address Paasivuorenketu 3. B. 15, Helsinki
r ar l an I)n 1 on
Tice Agrarian T-inion 'Maalaislritto} was founded at Seir+ti,}oki, Finland,
or ?'.i October 1906 ac the Union of Finnish Agrarian People +Suomr_n Maelais-
v:iect8r, into}. Thr. present name was adopted in 1908
?lrr? party's objectives include arousing the interest of the rural
^F'11+t:on of Finland iu sociological and mverrvnental affarr^ in the best
rnc, rent. of the nation, promoting i sense of nodal responsi'ality among
people'. and ,.nitiag uhPm Into an active political party an effort
Tor+,her the or the cotu,try as a whole and of the agrarian, ,actor.
T h- 1earltnp, principles of the Agrarian program include th? defense of
the rcai.ization of a democratic system of govern-
most, t h?} honoring. of t.hc r-il,hts and responsibilities of citizens as
de-
f;ne,i in In,- const;tut.:,an, the reduction of the points of friction between
grout-.-- of itz eaa, thF_ a.tiiization of labor and the nhyc:c,,1 power re-
:' or,nk -:our,try in th'- nest I,ossible manner to improve tar' r?.and-
ard of 1 i vin,;, rand th,_ promot mom of a s.tmpl.., healthy, aril t,anrrprate way
u1' Ltir.
+rty h:.;. thr,'e toverntn;; bodies. the Party Conference (Puclue-
;oi;ou } . r.i ch r:e is e?.. ; -, other ,ear; the Party Governing Committer:
(Pu'li?_,nltuus!:unta) ofnj0 ,.o t'?0 rr?-mters, which meets at least twice a
y ar: an:i s r, n:.ral Adruni.1tratior, ! f:esl:u,hal'iitus~ of 13 rseribers. Pr,~
r?ariv },?,:. ', Lletriot orr.ar:i:cr.+tIons. ltd, :orrrrunai organizations, arid
I,'?'.i lucn.l L;o tions.
The Agra:: ,r? liaise,, ?o11ej 1
va!.c?a n the 1951 nr_ticral :?Let
non eurrer:'.ly hol?1s 51 neat; iii the Diet.
~': or'?'. ^.G' V r c!;Se lbir ec: is Party- chai:rnan; Johannes Vt. olnint.n.
of Apric:itui. a:,i For ,cctry .., vice-ctioi: an; and Ar
.,tnr?--r hF.rr?? }7tet ttinc:, r: p c,-:c;-lti,tyi
1 r', _ - _ rc::arJ
P't - t:y ad:,a-tc LNlrvirk t.'. ;'t, ue1ainki
i.,*G_ Fr?r!plo' T'onacr:,' 1..nitll:
i nr,i:.h Pearl,' a L~ mocrst.c Union a ; ;'oimded in ti?'' :plc On
C, ! !, urn' the ' . .. '. i }'; ,pl.='., 1'nr ty I ;, v., h n..inw Sven:; 1:3 Folkpart v_t ;
.ri: t:'it !.ran::iutiar. l;tt?J~:1-:L~,L'i~": ti-Ic rtf'uolue) 'lain four,dea on ?p
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The objectives of the party include unifiying the Swedish peupln of
Finland on a patriotic basis to defend their position and rights: protect-
ing and developing the Swedish element of the population of Finland and
its language and culture; preserving Finnish freedom and. independence;
strengthening Finland's position In foreign diplomacy; defending the west-
ern concept of a just state and the democratic system of government nased
on law, the sacredness of the law, and the authority of the system of
justice; opposing attempts to establish dictatorships and all activity
which divides society; protecting the freedoms of speech, of assembly,
and of the right to unite; cooperating in efforts to reduce. class dif-
ferences; working for economy in public affairs and for the reduction of
the tax burden; improving the means for gaining a livelihood and pro-
motion of free and sound enterprise; promoting the marketing of domestic
industrial products both at home and abroad; developing the educational
system to meet practical needs; and protecting the working conditions of
T.he citizens and improving their standard of living.
The party has three governing bodies: the Party Conference, which
meets once a year,, the Central Administration of 51 members; and the
:3xecuti.ve Central Administration of 21 members. The party has four dis-
trict organizations and approximately 100 local sections. It polled
1.''7,171 votes in the 1951 national Diet election, and holds 1; seats in
the Di-t.
Ralf Tfirngren is party chairman and Inge Appelberg (master of phi -
losophy) is party secretary.
Finru sh People's Party
The Final on People's Party %Suomen Kansanpuolue) was founded on
February 1951 in Helsinki.
Party onjeetives The intellectual basis for the operation, of the
Feople's Party is a constructive, unprejudiced, Finnish attttude toward
world affairs, Lased on the Christian concept of life, on republican and
social-welfare points of view, and on individual freedom and absolute
c:emocracy. The more immediate objective of the party is to improve the
solidarity of the nation and protect the independence of the republic.
Tae party seeks to reduce the point,:; of friction between Croups of ci.ti-
rcns an'i to strengthen the spirit of rational unity. The party stresses
::nP dignTry of the Individual, the significance of personal re;pons1bil.rLy
-,iii of social security; the party categorically opposes collertivr,m and
,-orsiders it lrnp?rntive that the public affairs, as well as the social
rand economic life, of the country be founded on liberty based or. drmoc-
:9c.v =and legal principles. The party seeks to unite the mimic classes
in en;,-tractive effort for the good of society ar.d the nation
The party ha- three ecvernin,; bodies the Party Conference (Puolue-
f:oF:ou:;i which meets once a year; the Party Council (Puoluevaltursr,n) of
?. raem:%cr:: which meets at least twice -i y.-Fir; and the Party Committee
t P lobe r.oim'_huncn) of 23 members. The party has 14 district union:, and
121 tr,,,e1 Ct.ions.
The People's Party polled 10.,9--, otes in the 1951 national Diet.
'.ie Lion, and hold;; ten seats in the Diet
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Professor Eino Saari is party chairman, and Professor Esa Kaitila
and Communal Mayor H, A. Kgnnisto are vice-chairmen. Editor Osmo Kup-
ieinen is party secretary.
Other political groups too small to hold representation in the Diet
polled 114,789 votes in the 1951 election. A total of 1,812,817 votes
were cast out of an over-all population of 4,028,910 (census of 1950).
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