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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 | Nationalism, Euroscepticism |
| 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 political party in Finland, founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party.
The party is known for its anti-EU stance, and considered by most to be nationalistic. In the 2003 parliamentary elections, the party gained three seats. These are often attributed to the oratorical skills of party leader Timo Soini. In the 2007 Parliamentary Election, the party more than doubled its share of the vote, gaining 2 further seats to give it a total of 5.
Soini was the True Finns 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 |
| Year | Candidate | Votes | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Ilkka Hakalehto | 31 405 | 1.0% |
| 2006 | Timo Soini | 103 368 | 3.4% |
| Year | MPs | Votes | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1 | 26 440 | 1.0% |
| 2003 | 3 | 43 816 | 1.6% |
| 2007 | 5 | 112 256 | 4.1% |
| Year | Councillors | Votes | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 138 | 21 999 | 0.9% |
| 2000 | 109 | 14 712 | 0.7% |
| 2004 | 106 | 21 417 | 0.9% |
| Year | MEPs | Votes | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0 | 15 004 | 0.7% |
| 2000 | 0 | 14 712 | 0.8% |
| 2004 | 0 | 21 417 | 0.9% |
- Raimo Vistbacka (1995-1997)
- Timo Soini (1997-)
The founder of the party was Veikko Vennamo, leader of a faction in the Agrarian League (which was renamed Centre Party in 1965). The relations of Veikko Vennamo and the 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 (Finnish: 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 won in its best showing 18 seats in the 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 1980s. Vennamo Junior had neither the charisma nor the oratorical skills of his father. Other parties noticed this, and the Rural Party was taken again into the cabinet. As a protest movement without a charismatic leader, burdened with ministers participating in unpopular coalitions, the party gradually lost political support.
Agricultural changes proved hard for small farmers, who sold their farms and moved to the cities. The Social Democratic Party was a more credible alternative for the unemployed. Finally, the declining support of the Rural Party forced Vennamo Junior to resign. Some of its members of parliament joined the Centre Party and others retired with Vennamo.
See also: Politics of Finland
