The People's Party () was a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. It had a

populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...

and

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

-oriented profile. The party was founded in

Ylivieska Ylivieska () is a List of towns in Finland, town and Municipalities of Finland, municipality of Northern Ostrobothnia region, Finland. It has a population of (), and it serves as the administrative centre for Kalajokilaakso and Pyhäjokilaakso, a ...

on August 21, 1932 and it was mainly active in

Kalajoki Kalajoki (; literally translated the "fish river") is a coastal town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the immediate vicinity of the Gulf of Bothnia in the province of Oulu and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The town ...

laakso region. Yrjö Hautala was the chairman of the party, and Fredrik Rautio the vice chairman. In 1936, the party merged with others to form Party of Smallholders and Rural People.Lackman, Matti. ''Taistelu talonpojasta. Suomen Kommunistisen Puolueen suhde talonpoikaiskysymykseen ja talonpoikaisliikkeisiin 1918-1939'' (Pohjoinen 1985), pp. 253-283 During 1932, the party began publishing ''Kansan Sana''. In 1934, the party organ merged with ''Pohjanmaan pienviljelijä'', the organ of the Small Farmers' Party of Finland. The joint organ of both parties was known as ''Pohjanmaan Sana''. In 1936, however, the relations between the two parties got colder and People's Party chose to begin a new organ, ''Maalaiskansa''. The People's Party contested the 1933 national election. The party received 9,390 votes (0.80%) and won two seats in the

Eduskunta 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 ...

. Its MPs were Heikki Niskanen and Yrjö Hautala, both elected from

Oulu Province The Province of Oulu (, , ) was a Provinces of Finland, province of Finland from 1775 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Lapland (former province of Finland), Lapland, Western Finland and Eastern Finland and also the Gulf of Bothnia and Russia ...

. The party also had candidates in

Vaasa Province The Province of Vaasa ( ; , , Sweden ; ) was a province of Finland, established in 1775 when Finland was an integrated part of Sweden from the southern part of Ostrobothnia County and disbanded in 1996. The province was named after the city of V ...

. In the 1936 national election, the party received 7,449 votes (0.63%) and one seat. After the election the party merged with the Small Farmers' Party of Finland and the Central League of Recession Committees, forming the Party of Smallholders and Rural People. Discussions of forming a new united party had been ongoing for years. The rivalries were settled only after both parties suffered losses in the election.

References

Agrarian parties in Finland Defunct political parties in Finland Political parties established in 1932 Political parties disestablished in 1936 Defunct agrarian political parties in Europe 1932 establishments in Finland 1936 disestablishments in Finland {{Finland-party-stub