1924 Finnish parliamentary election

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]

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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
Party Votes % Seats +/–
Social Democratic Party255,06829.060+7
Agrarian League177,98220.244–1
National Coalition Party166,88019.038+3
Swedish People's Party105,73312.023–2
Socialist Workers' Party91,83910.418–9
National Progressive Party79,9379.117+2
Peasants' List4560.10New
Others1,0460.10–
Invalid/blank votes4,884–––
Total883,8251002000
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

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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