The Christian Democrats ( fi, Suomen Kristillisdemokraatit, sv, Kristdemokraterna i Finland; KD) is a

Christian-democratic Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

political party in Finland This article is a list of political parties in Finland, which includes Finland's national-level political parties and excludes local and provincial parties (such as the parties of Åland). A party is defined as a political association whose exis ...

. It was founded in May 1958, chiefly by the Christian faction of the

National Coalition Party sv, Samlingspartiet , leader1_title = Chairman , leader1_name = Petteri Orpo , leader2_title = Deputy chairs , leader2_name = Antti Häkkänen Elina ValtonenAnna-Kaisa Ikonen , merger = Finnish Party, Young Finnis ...

. It entered parliament in 1970. The party leader since 28 August 2015 has been

Sari Essayah Sari Miriam Essayah (born 21 February 1967 in Haukivuori) is a Finland, Finnish retired race walking, racewalker and a politician, former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and Member of Parliament since 2015. She is the president of the Finn ...

. The Christian Democrats have five seats in the

Finnish Parliament The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...

. It is positioned on the

centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the Right-wing politics, right of the Left–right politics, political spectrum, but are closer to the Centrism, centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure a ...

on the political spectrum. The party name was for a long time abbreviated to SKL (standing for , , ''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 A minor party is a political party that plays a smaller (in some cases much smaller, even insignificant in comparison) role than a major party in a country's politics and elections. The difference between minor and major parties can be so great ...

in the

coalition government led by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Esko Aho Esko Tapani Aho (born 20 May 1954) is a Finnish politician who was prime minister of Finland from 1991 to 1995. Early life and career Aho was born in Veteli, Finland. Prior to attending university, he began a career in politics. From 1974 to ...

between 1991 and 1994 and later a part of Rainbow coalition led by

Jyrki Katainen Jyrki Tapani Katainen (born 14 October 1971) is a Finnish politician who served as the European Commission's Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness from 2014 until 2019. Katainen was previously Prime Minister of Finland fr ...

and

Alexander Stubb Cai-Göran Alexander Stubb (born 1 April 1968) is a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland from 2014 to 2015. He rose to politics as a researcher specialized in the affairs of the European Union and was elected to the European ...

between 2011 and 2015. The party is a member of the

European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian-democratic, conservative, and liberal-conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Ch ...

(EPP). ''KD-lehti'' ( en, 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 Finnish People's Democratic League ( fi, Suomen Kansan Demokraattinen Liitto, SKDL; sv, Demokratiska Förbundet för Finlands Folk, DFFF) was a Finnish political organisation with the aim of uniting those left of the Finnish Social Democratic Pa ...

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.Freston P., (2004) Protestant Political Parties Aldershot (Ashgate), pp.42 The 1960s were and '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 A popular front is "any coalition of working-class and middle-class parties", including liberal and social democratic ones, "united for the defense of democratic forms" against "a presumed Fascist assault". More generally, it is "a coalition ...

government, the CD had a solitary

Raino Westerholm Raino Olavi Westerholm (20 November 1919 – 1 June 2017) was a Finnish politician. Westerholm was born in Kuusankoski. He was leader of the Finnish Christian League from 1973 to 1982. He was also member of the Finnish parliament from 1970 to 19 ...

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 Urho Kaleva Kekkonen (; 3 September 1900 – 31 August 1986), often referred to by his initials UKK, was a Finnish politician who served as the eighth and longest-serving president of Finland from 1956 to 1982. He also served as Prime Minister ...

, who was backed by all of the larger parties.Arter, D. (2009) Scandinavian Politics Today Manchester (Manchester University Press), pp.126-128 Party was a junior coalition partner in government from 1991 to 1995, when it occupied the development aid portfolio. It was a soft Eurospectic 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 Pro-Europeanism, sometimes called European Unionism, is a political position that favours European integration and membership of the European Union (EU).Krisztina Arató, Petr Kaniok (editors). ''Euroscepticism and European Integration''. Polit ...

stance.

Bjarne Kallis Johan Bjarne Kallis (born 21 March 1945 in Kokkola) is the former chairman of the Christian Democratic Party (KD), previously known as the Finnish Christian Coalition (SKL), and a member of the Parliament of Finland. Kallis works as the principal ...

, 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 The Swedish People's Party of Finland ( sv, Svenska folkpartiet i Finland (SFP); fi, Suomen ruotsalainen kansanpuolue (RKP)) is a list of political parties in Finland, political party in Finland aiming to represent the interests of the minority ...

and Finnish-speaking

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

and

Centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

voters. At the 2003 general election, The Christian Democrats polled their highest vote of 5.3 %.Arter, D. (2006) Democracy in Scandinavia (Manchester University Press), pp.187 English-speaking members of the party founded their own chapter in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

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.

Ideology

The party describes itself as following the tenets of

Christian democracy Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

. 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. The party also claims to be committed to

environmental protection Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...

. It is also orientated towards

socially conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...

policies.

Politicians

Finnish Christian League parliamentary election campaign 1972

Parliamentary election 1972 campaign event of Finnish Christian League at 1971.

List of party chairs

* Olavi Päivänsalo (1958–1964) * Ahti Tele (1964–1967) * Eino Sares (1967–1970) *

Olavi Majlander Olavi is a Finnish masculine given name from Olav/Olaf name. Notable people with the name include: *Olavi Ahonen (1923–2000), Finnish film actor *Olavi Alakulppi (1915–1990), Finnish cross country skier who competed in the 1930s *Olavi Hänn ...

(1970–1973) *

(1973–1982) *

Esko Almgren Esko Almgren (born 2 July 1932) is a Finnish high school teacher and politician. He was the chairman of the Christian Democrats between 1982 and 1989. He served at the Finnish Parliament for three terms. He is the honorary chairman of the Christi ...

(1982–1989) *

Toimi Kankaanniemi Toimi Olavi Kankaanniemi (born 26 February 1950) is a Finland, Finnish politician, born in Sastamala, Tyrvää. Kankaanniemi was the Chairman of the Finnish Christian Democrats (Finland), Christian Democrats from 1989 to 1995. In 1994 Finnish pre ...

(1989–1995) *

(1995–2004) *

Päivi Räsänen Päivi Maria Räsänen, née Kuvaja (born 19 December 1959, in Sonkajärvi, Finland), is a Finnish politician. The chairwoman of the Christian Democrats from 2004 to 2015, she was the Minister of the Interior of Finland between 2011 and 2015. A ...

(2004–2015) *

(2015–)

First vice chairs

(1971–1973) * Ilmari Helimäki (1973–1982) * Olavi Ronkainen (1982–1985) * Marjatta Laakko (1985–?) *

Juhani Peltonen Juhani Peltonen (born 16 June 1936) is a retired Finland, Finnish association football player. Peltonen was the first Finnish player to play in the Germany, German Bundesliga. The Forward (association football), forward made 38 appearances for H ...

(-1991) * Leea Hiltunen (1991–2003) * Marja-Leena Kemppainen (2003–2005) * Peter Östman (2005–2009) *

Sari Palm Sari Palm is a Finnish politician and a member of the Parliament of Finland between 2007 and 2015 representing Kymi Kymi may refer to: *Kymi, Greece, a town in Euboea, Greece *Kymi, Finland, a former municipality in Finland *Kymi (constituency), a ...

(2009–2011) * Teuvo V. Riikonen (2011–2013) * Sauli Ahvenjärvi (2013–2015) * Tommy Björkskog (2015–2017) * Tiina Tuomela (2017–2019) * Peter Östman (2019–)

Party secretary

* 1958–1959: S. N. Venho * 1959–1965: Paavo Luostarinen * 1965–1978:

Eino Pinomaa Eino is a Finnish and Estonian masculine given name. The name is thought to be the Finnic form of the given name Henri. Both Finnish and Estonian languages belong to the Finno-Ugric language group through their being Uralic languages.Languag ...

* 1979–1982:

* 1982–1996:

Jouko Jääskeläinen Jouko Jääskeläinen (born March 18, 1952) is a Finnish politician representing the Christian Democrats __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Chri ...

* 1997–2002:

Milla Kalliomaa ''Milla'', the Mexican star, is a genus of monocotyledonous plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Brodiaeoideae. They are native mostly to Mexico, with one species extending into Guatemala, Honduras, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. ''Mil ...

* 2003:

Eija-Riitta Korhola Eija-Riitta Korhola (née Nieminen; born 15 June 1959 in Lahti) is a Finnish politician and former Member of the European Parliament (MEP). She served three terms, first with the Finnish Christian Democrats between 1999–2003 and then with the ...

* 2003–2007:

Annika Kokko Annika is a feminine given name. It is the Swedish pet form of Anna, similar to Anneke in the Netherlands. It is also common in Germany, Finland and Estonia, gaining popularity after 1969 from the character of that name in the ''Pippi Longstockin ...

* 2007–2009:

* 2009–2011: Peter Östman * 2011–2021: Asmo Maanselkä * 2022–: Elsi Juupaluoma

Current members of parliament

(Savo-Karjala constituency) *

Antero Laukkanen Antero Jorma Laukkanen (born May 30, 1958), is a Finnish priest and politician, who has represented the Christian Democrats in the City Council of Espoo since 2001 and in the Parliament of Finland since 2015. He was elected to the Parliament fr ...

(Uusimaa constituency) *

(Häme constituency) * Sari Tanus (Pirkanmaa constituency) * Peter Östman (Vaasa constituency)

European Parliament

was the most recent MEP of the party; she was elected to the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

in the 2009 election but failed to win re-election in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Election results

Parliamentary elections

ImageSize = width:600 height:240 PlotArea = width:500 height:160 left:50 bottom:60 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:15 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:0 PlotData= bar:% color:blue width:22 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:S bar:1958 from:start till:0.17 text:0,2 bar:1962 bar:1966 from:start till:0.45 text:0,5 bar:1970 from:start till:1.40 text:1,4 bar:1972 from:start till:2.53 text:2,5 bar:1975 from:start till:3.29 text:3,3 bar:1979 from:start till:4.77 text:4,8 bar:1983 from:start till:3.03 text:3,0 bar:1987 from:start till:2.58 text:2,6 bar:1991 from:start till:3.05 text:3,1 bar:1995 from:start till:2.96 text:3,0 bar:1999 from:start till:4.17 text:4,2 bar:2003 from:start till:5.34 text:5,3 bar:2007 from:start till:4.86 text:4,9 bar:2011 from:start till:4.03 text:4,0 bar:2015 from:start till:3.54 text:3,5 bar:2019 from:start till:3.90 text:3,9

Municipal elections

European parliamentary elections

Presidential elections

Indirect elections

Direct elections

Literature

* *

Affiliated organisations

* Christian Democratic Youth of Finland fi, Suomen Kristillisdemokraattiset Nuoret sv, Finlands Kristdemokratiska Unga * Christian Democratic Women of Finland fi, Suomen Kristillisdemokraattiset Naiset sv, Finlands Kristdemokratiska Kvinnor * KD News fi, KD-Lehti * Kompassi Think Tank fi, Ajatushautomo Kompassi

References

External links

* {{Authority control Christian democratic parties in Europe Protestant political parties Conservative parties in Finland 1958 establishments in Finland Registered political parties in Finland Political parties established in 1958 Social conservative parties Member parties of the European People's Party