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Christian Democrats
Suomen Kristillisdemokraatit(Finnish) Kristdemokraterna i Finland(Swedish)
It was founded in May 1958, chiefly by the Christian faction of the National Coalition Party.[6][7] It entered parliament in 1970. The party leader since 28 August 2015 has been Sari Essayah.[8] The Christian Democrats have five seats in the Finnish Parliament. It is positioned on the centre-right on the political spectrum.[9]
The party name was for a long time abbreviated to SKL (standing for Suomen Kristillinen Liitto, Finlands Kristliga Förbund, Finnish Christian League), until 2001, when the party changed its name to the current Christian Democrats and its abbreviation to KD. The KD was a minor party in the centre-right coalition government led by Prime MinisterEsko Aho between 1991 and 1994 and later a part of Rainbow coalition led by Jyrki Katainen and Alexander Stubb between 2011 and 2015. The party is a member of the European People's Party (EPP). KD-lehti (English: CD News) is the party's weekly newspaper.
History
When the Christian Democrats was founded in 1958, as the name Finnish Christian League, the communist-dominated Finnish People's Democratic League was polling about 25 per cent and became the largest parliamentary grouping. That, together with lax alcohol laws, salacious publications and assistance from the Norwegian KrF, sparked the Christian initiative.[10]
The 1960s were an 'incubation period', but there was a growing conviction of the need for parliamentary seats in the wake of liberal legislation. At the 'earthquake election' of 1970, after four years of Popular front government, the CD had a solitary Raino Westerholm elected. Westerholm was a party chair between 1973 and 1982. Westerholm polled a creditable 8.8 per cent at the 1978 presidential election. The modest 'Westerholm effect' was a backlash for long-serving Urho Kekkonen, who was backed by all of the larger parties.[11]
The party was a junior coalition partner in government from 1991 to 1995, when it occupied the development aid portfolio. It was a soft Eurosceptic party and stressed the importance of the principle of subsidiarity in European affairs. After being renamed The Christian Democrats in 2001, it moved to a pro-European stance.[10]Bjarne Kallis, the party chairman between 1995 and 2004, was instrumental in the party's change of name and concern to attract a wider electorate, being able to draw votes from the Swedish People's Party and Finnish-speaking Conservative and Centre voters.[11]
At the 2003 general election, the Christian Democrats polled its highest vote of 5.3%.[12]
English-speaking members of the party founded their own chapter in Helsinki in 2004. Its monthly meetings attract immigrants to participate in societal matters and the issues that are particularly important to them. In 2005, a Russian-speaking chapter was also founded in Helsinki, Finland.[13]
Ideology
The party describes itself as following the tenets of Christian democracy. It emphasizes "respect of human dignity, the importance of family and close communities, defending the weak, encouraging resourcefulness and individual and collective responsibility, not just for themselves but also for their neighbours and the rest of creation". Membership is open to everyone who agrees with these values and aims.[6] The party also claims to be committed to environmental protection.[14] It is also orientated towards socially conservative policies.[9]
Freston, Paul (2004). Protestant Political Parties. A Global Survey. Ashgate. ISBN0-7546-4062-0.
Madeley, John T.S. (2004). Steven Van Hecke; Emmanuel Gerard (eds.). Life at the Northern Margin: Christian Democracy in Scandinavia. Christian Democratic Parties in Europe Since the End of the Cold War. Leuven University Press. pp. 217–241. ISBN90-5867-377-4.
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