Finland Politics

The Finnish political party system has been relatively stable for the last 100 years. The gap between the different parties is centered around certain specific issues namely the ideal of nationality, the language issue (Swedish people are a minority, still it is the official language), the socialist vs. non-socialist divide, and how the rural population is represented. The division of the political Left is also important in terms of its impact on the political landscape.

Finland has a multiparty system, that can be summarised as follows: the three biggest parties each have 20-25% of popular support and six smaller parties form for the remainder. The environmentalist Green League has recently gained influence to become a prominent minority.

Finnish government coalitions are often large, and their composition is often politically unconventional with varying political parties joining together.

Since 1982, all Presidents of the Republic have been members of the Social Democratic Party. Tarja Halonen became Finland's first female President in 2000, and she was re-elected in 2006.

Political parties in the 2007 parliament were: The Centre Party of Finland; The National Coalition Party; The Social Democratic Party of Finland; The Left Alliance; The Green League; The Christian Democrats; The True Finns; and The Swedish People's Party of Finland.

Back to All European Country Guides