True Finns
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| True Finns | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Name in Finnish | Perussuomalaiset |
| Name in Swedish | Sannfinländarna |
| Leader | Timo Soini |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Mannerheimintie 40 B 56 FI-00100 HELSINKI |
| Political Ideology | Populism, Nationalism |
| Political Position | n/a |
| European Affiliation | n/a |
| International Affiliation | n/a |
| Colours | Yellow |
| Website | www.perussuomalaiset.fi (Finnish) |
| See also | Finnish Politics Finnish Parliament |
True Finns (Perussuomalaiset in Finnish or Sannfinländarna in Swedish) is a populist party in Finland, founded in 1995 on the ruins of The Finnish Rural Party.
This populist movement is very nationalist, eurosceptic and anti-establishment. In the 2003 parliamentary elections, the party gained three seats. This minor victory has been attributed to the oratory skills of the party leader Timo Soini and the personal charisma of the showfighter Tony Halme.
Soini was True Finns party's candidate in the 2006 Presidential election. He finished fifth out of the eight candidates in the first round, with a vote share of 3.4%
Contents |
[edit] Elections results
[edit] Presidential elections
| Year | Candidate | Votes | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Ilkka Hakalehto | 31 405 | 1,0% |
| 2006 | Timo Soini | 103 368 | 3,4% |
[edit] Parliament elections
| Year | MPs | Votes | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1 | 26 440 | 1,0% |
| 2003 | 3 | 43 816 | 1,6% |
[edit] Local council elections
| Year | Councillors | Votes | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 138 | 21 999 | 0,9% |
| 2000 | 109 | 14 712 | 0,7% |
| 2004 | 106 | 21 417 | 0,9% |
[edit] European parliament elections
| Year | MEPs | Votes | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0 | 15 004 | 0,7% |
| 2000 | 109 | 14 712 | 0,8% |
| 2004 | 106 | 21 417 | 0,9% |
[edit] Leaders
- Raimo Vistbacka (1995-1997)
- Timo Soini (1997-)
[edit] Historical background as Agrarian party
The founder of the party was Veikko Vennamo, leader of a faction in the Agrarian League (which was renamed to Centre Party in 1965). The relations of Veikko Vennamo and Agrarian League's strong man Urho Kekkonen were icy at best, and after Kekkonen was elected president in 1956 Vennamo decided to start a party on his own.
The Finnish Rural Party (fi: Suomen maaseudun puolue; SMP) started as a protest movement, with support from small farmers and the unemployed. The main carrying force was Vennamo, who was charismatic, a good orator and a skilled negotiator. The Rural Party gained at its best 18 seats in Finnish parliament (which has 200 seats) and sometimes even managed to join the cabinet. Veikko Vennamo's son, Pekka Vennamo, became the party leader when his father retired in the 1980's. Vennamo Junior had neither the charisma nor the oratory skills of his father. Other parties noticed this, and the Rural Party was taken again into the cabinet. A protest movement without a charismatic leader, burdened with ministers participating in unpopular coalitions, the party gradually lost its support.
Agricultural changes proved hard for small farmers, who sold their farms and moved to the cities. Communists and Social Democrats were more credible alternatives for the unemployed. Finally, the declining support of Rural Party forced Vennamo Junior to resign. Some of the members of parliament joined the Centre Party and others retired with Vennamo.
See also: Politics of Finland
