1917 Finnish parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in the Grand Duchy of Finland on 1 and 2 October 1917. The general voter turnout was higher than in previous elections. The Social Democrats lost the absolute majority that they had had in the previous two elections (although they, like the other parties, had increased their number of votes in absolute terms). In other words, the "bourgeois" (non-socialist) parties taken together now had more than half the seats.

Background

The elections were the result of the constitutional crisis in Finland caused by the Russian revolution. As Russian Tsar Nicholas, head of state in Finland, had abdicated without a successor, the Finnish Parliament stated that it would become the highest power in internal matters. The Russian Provisional Government did not accept this, but ordered premature parliamentary elections, which was thought illegal by the Socialists.

Campaign

The Social Democrats demanded the quick implementation of eight-hour work day and the quick freeing of tenant farmers. The bourgeois parties, on average, wanted first to ensure that Finland would become fully independent, and only then to implement such social and economic reforms.[1][2]

Results

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Social Democratic Party of Finland	444,670	44.79	92	–11
	Finnish Party–Young Finnish Party–People's Party^[a]	299,516	30.17	61	+5
	Agrarian League	122,900	12.38	26	+7
	Swedish People's Party	108,190	10.90	21	0
	Christian Workers' Union	15,489	1.56	0	–1
	Others	1,997	0.20	0	–
Total		992,762	100	200	0

Valid votes		992,762	99.51
Invalid/blank votes		4,903	0.49
Total votes cast		997,665	100
Registered voters/turnout		1,441,075	69.23
Source: Mackie & Rose[3]

^a The Finnish Party won 32 seats, the Young Finnish Party 24 and the People's Party five.

Popular vote

SDP			44.79%
SP-NSP-K			30.17%
ML			12.38%
RKP			10.90%
KTL			1.56%
Others			0.20%

Parliament seats

SDP			46.00%
SP			16.00%
ML			13.00%
NSP			12.00%
RKP			10.50%
K			2.50%

References

Seppo Zetterberg et al (2003_ A Small Giant of the Finnish History WSOY
Allan Tiitta and Seppo Zetterberg (1992) Finland Through the Ages Reader's Digest
Thomas T Mackie & Richard Rose (1991) The International Almanac of Electoral History, Macmillan, p243 (vote figures)

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[1] Seppo Zetterberg et al (2003_ A Small Giant of the Finnish History WSOY

[2] Allan Tiitta and Seppo Zetterberg (1992) Finland Through the Ages Reader's Digest

[3] Thomas T Mackie & Richard Rose (1991) The International Almanac of Electoral History, Macmillan, p243 (vote figures)

[a]

Elections and referendums in Finland
Parliamentary elections	1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1913 1916 1917 1919 1922 1924 1927 1929 1930 1933 1936 1939 1945 1948 1951 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1972 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 Next
Municipal elections	1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1928 1930 1933 1936 1945 1947 1950 1953 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2017
Presidential elections	(1919) 1925 1931 1937 (1940) (1943) (1946) 1950 1956 1962 1968 1978 1982 1988 1994 2000 2006 2012 2018
European elections	1996 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019
Referendums	1931 1994
Elections in brackets were not public elections