Christian Democrats (Finland)

The Christian Democrats (; , KD) is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Finland.

It was founded in May 1958, chiefly by the Christian faction of the National Coalition Party. It entered parliament in 1970. The party leader since 28 August 2015 has been Sari Essayah. The Christian Democrats have five seats in the Finnish Parliament. It is positioned on the centre-right on the political spectrum.

The party name was for a long time abbreviated to SKL (standing for , , Finland's Christian League), until 2001, when the party changed its name to the current Christian Democrats and its Finnish and Swedish abbreviations to KD. The CD was a minor party in the centre-right coalition government led by Prime Minister Esko Aho between 1991 and 1994 and was later a part of a rainbow coalition led by Jyrki Katainen and Alexander Stubb between 2011–2015. It has been a part of the Orpo Cabinet since its formation on 20 June 2023. KD-lehti is the party's weekly newspaper. The party is a member of the European People's Party and the European People's Party Group.

History

The Christian Democrats were founded in May 1958 under the name Finnish Christian League. At the time, 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.Freston P., (2004) Protestant Political Parties Aldershot (Ashgate), pp.42

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 a popular front government, the CD only had 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.Arter, D. (2009) Scandinavian Politics Today Manchester (Manchester University Press), pp.126-128

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 to "The Christian Democrats" in 2001, it moved to a pro-European stance. 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 centrist voters.

At the 2003 general election, the Christian Democrats polled its highest vote of 5.3%.Arter, D. (2006), Democracy in Scandinavia, Manchester University Press, p.187

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.Immigrants . Christian Democrats

Ideology The party describes itself as following the tenets of Christian democracy. It has been described by third-party sources as conservative.Hübscher E, Sattler T, Wagner M. Does Austerity Cause Polarization? British Journal of Political Science. 2023;53(4):1170-1188. doi:10.1017/S0007123422000734Äystö, T., & Hjelm, T. (2024). Religion as a troublesome resource in Finnish abortion debates. Religion, State and Society, 52(1), 3–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/09637494.2023.2298065Norocel, O. C., & Pettersson, K. (2025). Anti-gender politics in Finland and Romania. European Journal of Politics and Gender, 8(1), 189-206. Retrieved 6 June 2025 from https://doi.org/10.1332/251510821X16832281009645 It is also orientated towards socially conservative policies.Hägerbäck, F. and Norocel, O.C. (2024) ‘Migration and Welfare: Differential Grievabilities in the Swedish Right-Wing Continuum’, Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 14(2), p. 1. Available at: https://doi.org/10.33134/njmr.678. 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 God's creations". Membership is open to everyone who agrees with their values and aims. The party also states it is committed to protecting the environment.Environment and Energy Christian Democrats Organization

Leadership

Party chairs Olavi Päivänsalo (1958–1964) Ahti Tele (1964–1967) Eino Sares (1967–1970) Olavi Majlander (1970–1973) Raino Westerholm (1973–1982) Esko Almgren (1982–1989) Toimi Kankaanniemi (1989–1995) Bjarne Kallis (1995–2004) Päivi Räsänen (2004–2015) Sari Essayah (2015–present)

First deputy chairs Raino Westerholm (1971–1973) Ilmari Helimäki (1973–1982) Olavi Ronkainen (1982–1985) Marjatta Laakko (1985–1989) Juhani Peltonen (1989–1991) Leea Hiltunen (1991–2003) Marja-Leena Kemppainen (2003–2005) Peter Östman (2005–2009) Sari Palm (2009–2011) Teuvo V. Riikonen (2011–2013) Sauli Ahvenjärvi (2013–2015) Tommy Björkskog (2015–2017) Tiina Tuomela (2017–2019) Peter Östman (2019–2023) Mika Poutala (2023–present)

Party secretaries 1958–1959: S. N. Venho 1959–1965: Paavo Luostarinen 1965–1978: Eino Pinomaa 1979–1982: Esko Almgren 1982–1996: Jouko Jääskeläinen 1997–2002: Milla Kalliomaa 2003: Eija-Riitta Korhola 2003–2007: Annika Kokko 2007–2009: Sari Essayah 2009–2011: Peter Östman 2011–2021: Asmo Maanselkä 2022–2023: Elsi Juupaluoma 2024– Mikko Rekimies

Representatives

Current members of parliament Sari Essayah (Savo-Karjala constituency) Mika Poutala (Uusimaa constituency) Päivi Räsänen (Häme constituency) Sari Tanus (Pirkanmaa constituency) Peter Östman (Vaasa constituency)

Members of the European Parliament Sari Essayah was the most recent MEP of the party; she was elected to the European Parliament in the 2009 election but failed to win re-election in 2014.

Affiliated organisations Christian Democratic Youth of Finland ( ) Christian Democratic Women of Finland ( ) KD-Lehti Ajatushautomo Kompassi

Election results

Parliamentary elections

Election Votes % Seats +/- Government 1958 3,358 0.17 1966 10,646 0.45 1970 28,228 1.40 1 1972 65,228 2.53 3 1975 90,599 3.29 5 1979 138,244 4.77 1983 90,410 3.03 6 1987 74,209 2.58 2 1991 83,151 3.05 3 1995 82,311 2.96 1 1999 111,835 4.17 3 2003 148,987 5.34 3 2007 134,643 4.86 2011 118,453 4.03 1 2015 105,134 3.54 1 2019 120,144 3.90 2023 130,394 4.22

Municipal elections Election Councillors Votes % 1972 134 49,877 2.0 1976 322 85,792 3.2 1980 333 100,800 3.7 1984 257 80,455 3.0 1988 273 71,614 2.7 1992 353 84,481 3.2 1996 353 75,494 3.2 2000 443 95,009 4.3 2004 392 94,666 4.0 2008 351 106,639 4.2 2012 300 93,257 3.7 2017 316 105,551 4.1202131188,2593.6202529986,4283.6

European Parliament elections Election Votes % Seats +/– EP Group 1996 63,134 2.81 (#8) New – 1999 29,637 2.39 (#7) 1 EPP-ED 2004 70,845 4.28 (#7) 1 – 2009 69,467 4.17 (#8) 1 EPP 2014 90,586 5.24 (#8) 1 – 2019 89,204 4.87 (#8) 0 2024 75,426 4.12 (#8) 0

Presidential elections

Indirect elections Electoral college Election Candidate Popular vote First ballot Second ballot Third ballot Results Votes % Seats Votes % Votes % Votes % 1978 Raino Westerholm 215,244 8.8 8.8 (#2) 1982 Raino Westerholm 59,885 1.9 1.9 (#7)

Direct elections ElectionCandidate1st round2nd roundResult Votes % Votes % 1994 Toimi Kankaanniemi 31,453 1.0 2006 Bjarne Kallis 61,483 2.0 2012 Sari Essayah 75,744 2.5 2018 Supported Sauli Niinistö 1,874,334 62.6 2024 Sari Essayah 47,820 1.48

Literature

Christian Democrats (Finland)

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