Centre Party and Christian Democrats agreed to cooperate in two elections

Bjarne Kallis

Seppo Kääriäinen

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Leaders of the Christian Democratic Party and the Centre Party had a secret agreement of mutual assistance in the Presidential elections of 2000 and the Parliamentary elections of 2003.
      Helsingin Sanomat has learned that key figures in both parties agreed in the autumn of 1999 that the Christian Democrats would support the Presidential candidacy of the Centre Party’s Esko Aho in 2000 in exchange for forming an electoral alliance in five electoral districts in the Parliamentary elections of 2003.
      The initiative reportedly came from Christian Democratic Party chairman Bjarne Kallis and the party’s secretary Milla Kalliomaa. On the Centre Party’s side, Esko Aho, party secretary Eero Lankia, and acting chairman Seppo Kääriäinen were in on the plan.
     
The agreement was kept a secret because party leaders are not entitled to make such decisions above the heads of their regional organisations. In November 1999 the Christian Democratic Party congress made a decision that it would not endorse any candidates for President.
      Although leading figures in the Christian Democratic Party all came out in favour of Esko Aho in 2000, the district organisations of the Centre Party rejected the formation of electoral alliances with the Christian Democrats in last year’s Parliamentary elections.
      This was a considerable disappointment for the Christian Democrats, because electoral alliances would have brought them two to four more seats in Parliament. The poor showing in the elections was initially blamed on much-publicised internal bickering within the party. However, many Christian Democrats have since recognised that the failure of the electoral alliances was the main factor.
     
Both the outgoing Christian Democratic Party chairman Bjarne Kallis and Defence Minister Kääriäinen confirm that there was a secret agreement. Party Secretary Lankia recalls that the Christian Democrats had proposed such a pact, but that the Centre Party turned it down.
      Helsingin Sanomat has learned that a memorandum was drafted on the issue, but that the Centre Party refused to sign it, for fear that it might be leaked to the public.
      Kallis did not want to comment on the issue on Thursday. Kääriäinen insists that nothing was put on paper.
      "We promised that we would be ready to promote the emergence of electoral alliances, but we did not draw up a written agreement because electoral alliances are independently decided upon by the district organisations", Kääriäinen said.
      Lankia says that the district organisations were informed that the Christian Democrats hoped that they could form electoral alliances with the Centre, and that the Centre Party leadership did not push the issue.
     
Ultimately the Christian Democrats formed alliances with the National Coalition Party and the True Finns. The party won 37,000 votes more in 2003 than they did in 1999, but without the alliance with the Centre Party, its number of seats in Parliament went down from ten to seven.
      Since then the Christian Democrats have been further demoralised by the defections of MP Lyly Rajala and MEP Eija-Riitta Korhola to the National Coalition Party.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Bjarne Kallis unexpectedly resigns from Christian Democratic Party leadership (17.6.2004)
  Eija-Riitta Korhola (Christ. Dem.) to give up seat in European Parliament (26.8.2003)

Helsingin Sanomat