Cohabitation – Finland

This is a series of posts that records the cases of cohabitation in countries with semi-presidential constitutions. Cohabitation is defined as the situation where the president and prime minister are from different parties and where the president’s party is not represented in the cabinet. Presidents classed as non-party cannot generate any periods of cohabitation.

Here is my list of cohabitations in Finland:

Dec 1926 – Dec 1927
President – Lauri Kristian Relander (ML); PM – Väinö Alfred Tanner (SDP); Government – SDP

Dec 1928 – Aug 1929
President – Lauri Kristian Relander (ML); PM – Oskari Mantere (ED); Government – ED, KOK

Mar 1946 – Jul 1948
President – Juho Kusti Paasikivi (KOK); PM – Mauno Pekkala (SKDL); Government – SKDL, SFP, ML, SDP

Jul 1948 – Mar 1950
President – Juho Kusti Paasikivi (KOK); PM – Karl August Fagerholm (SDP); Government – SDP

Mar 1950 – Nov 1953
President – Juho Kusti Paasikivi (KOK); PM – Urho Kekkonen (ML); Government – ML, ED (until Sep 1951), SFP, SDP (Jan 1951-July 1953)

May 1954 – Oct 1954
President – Juho Kusti Paasikivi (KOK); PM – Ralf Johan Gustaf Törngren (SDP); Government – SFP, SDP, ML

Oct 1954 – Feb 1956
President – Juho Kusti Paasikivi (KOK); PM – Urho Kekkonen (ML); Government – ML, SDP

Feb 1972 – Sep 1972
President – Urho Kekkonen (ML/KESK); PM – Kustaa Rafael Paasio (SDP); Government – SDP

Apr 1991 – March 1994
President – Mauno Henrik Koivisto (SDP); PM – Esko Tapani Aho (KESK); Government – KESK, KOK, RKP/SFP, SKL

March 1994 – Apr 1995
President – Martti Ahtisaari (SDP); PM – Esko Tapani Aho (KESK); Government – KESK, KOK, RKP/SFP, SKL (to June 1994)

Apr 2007 – June 2011
President – Tarja Kaarina Halonen (SDP); PM – Matti Taneli Vanhanen (KESK); Government – KESK, RKP/SFP, VIHR

Parties:
ED – Kansallinen Edistyspuolue (National Progressive Party)
KESK – Suomen Keskusta (Finnish Centre Party)
KOK – Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party)
ML – Maalaisliitto (Farmers League – became KESK)
RKP – Ruotsalainen kansanpuolue (Finnish for Swedish People’s Party in Finland)
SDP – Suomen Sosialidemokraatinen Puolue (Social Democratic Party)
SFP – Svenska Folkpartiet i Finland (Swedish People’s Party in Finland)
SKDL – Suomen Kansan Demokraattinen Liitto (Finnish People’s Democratic League)
SKL – Suomen Kristillinen Liitto (Finnish Christian League)
VIHR – Vihreät (Greens)

Sources:
Cabinet composition:
1919-45 – Klaus Tornudd, ‘Composition of Cabinets in Finland 1917-1968’, Scandinavian Political Studies, vol. 4, issue 4A, 1969, pp. 58-70;
1945- Jaakko Nousianen, ‘Finland: The consolidation of Parliamentary Governance’, in W. C. Muller and Kaare Strøm (eds.), Coalition Governments in Western Europe, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, pp. 264-99.

List of presidents and PMs and their affiliations:
http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Finland.html

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