Left Alliance
Name in Finnish	Vasemmistoliitto
Name in Swedish	Vänsterförbundet
Leader	Martti Korhonen
Founded	1990
Headquarters	Viherniemenkatu 5 A FI-00530 HELSINKI
Political Ideology	Socialism
Political Position	Left
European Affiliation	Nordic Green Left Alliance
International Affiliation
Colours	Red
Website	www.vasemmistoliitto.fi
See also	Finnish Politics Finnish Parliament Finnish Government Finnish President Political parties Elections This work is copyrighted. ... Martti Korhonen (born February 27, 1953) is a Finnish politician and member of Finnish Parliament, representing the Left Alliance. ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to social control. ... Leftism redirects here. ... The Nordic Green Left Alliance (NGLA) is a green and socialist political party at the European level founded in Reykjavík on February 1, 2004. ... Red may be any of a number of similar colors at the lowest frequencies of light discernible by the human eye. ... Finland has a primarily parliamentary system, although the president also has some notable powers. ... The Eduskunta (in Finnish), or the Riksdag (in Swedish), is the Parliament of Finland. ... Finland is a republic with a representative democracy governed according to the principles of Parliamentarism. ... The President of Finland (Suomen Tasavallan Presidentti; Republiken Finlands President) is the Head of State of Finland. ... Political parties in Finland lists political parties in Finland. ... Politics of Finland See also [[List of political parties in Åland|political parties in Åland]]. Categories: Election related stubs | Elections in Finland | Finnish politics ...

The Left Alliance (in Finnish: Vasemmistoliitto, Vas.; in Swedish: Vänsterförbundet) is a political party in Finland. Its current chair is Martti Korhonen, and it is a member of the Nordic Green Left Alliance. In parliamentary elections, Left Alliance share of the vote has been close to ten per cent. The Left Alliance had three portfolios in the two cabinets of Paavo Lipponen (1995-2003). Finland has a primarily parliamentary system, although the president also has some notable powers. ... A Chairman is the presiding officer of a meeting, organization, committee, or other deliberative body. ... Martti Korhonen (born February 27, 1953) is a Finnish politician and member of Finnish Parliament, representing the Left Alliance. ... The Nordic Green Left Alliance (NGLA) is a green and socialist political party at the European level founded in Reykjavík on February 1, 2004. ... The Eduskunta in Finnish, or the Riksdag in Swedish, is the parliament of Finland. ... A percentage is a way of expressing a proportion or a fraction as a whole number. ... Paavo Lipponen Paavo Tapio Lipponen (b. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The party currently has 17 MPs in the Finnish Eduskunta, and one MEP in the European Parliament. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... The Eduskunta in Finnish, or the Riksdag in Swedish, is the parliament of Finland. ... A Member of the European Parliament (English abbreviation MEP)[1] is a member of the European Unions directly-elected legislative body, the European Parliament. ... The European Parliament (formerly European Parliamentary Assembly) is the parliamentary body of the European Union (EU), directly elected by EU citizens once every five years. ...

History

The party was founded as a result of a merger between the Finnish People's Democratic League (SKDL), the Finnish Women's Democratic League (SNDL), and the Communist Party of Finland (SKP). The founding meeting was held in April 1990 in Helsinki, following the publishing of the April Declaration, which emphasised the need for a party that would promote the ideals of the French Revolution - liberty, equality, and fraternity - in addition to peace and environmental values. The phrase mergers and acquisitions or M&A refers to the aspect of corporate finance strategy and management dealing with the merging and acquiring of different companies as well as assets. ... Finnish Peoples Democratic League (in Finnish: Suomen kansan demokraattinen liitto, SKDL, in Swedish: Demokratiska Förbundet för Finlands Folk, DFFF) was a Finnish political organisation with the aim of uniting those left of the Finnish Social Democratic Party. ... The Communist Party of Finland (Finnish: Suomen kommunistinen puolue, Swedish: Finlands kommunistiska parti, abbreviated SKP) is a former political party endorsing communism in Finland. ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... Founded 1550 Country Finland Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Area[1] - Of which land - Rank 185. ... The French Revolution (1789-1799) was a period of major political and social change in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based...

The party's short history has been characterised by internal disputes and bickering, as it was formed by people with very different views on society. There have been several large-scale defections from the Left Alliance to the Social Democratic Party and the newly formed Communist Party of Finland (Unity). In 2005, the party's former secretary and SAK's assistant head Matti Viialainen formed a society to promote a merger between the two largest Finnish left-wing political parties, the Left Alliance and the Social Democrats. This caused an outrage within the Left Alliance, and Viialainen was condemned of wanting to break up the party. The Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP) is one of the most influential political parties in Finland, along with the Centre Party and the Coalition Party. ... Suomen kommunistinen puolue (yhtenäisyys) (SKPy) [Communist Party of Finland (Unity)] was a Finnish political party. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions, usually referred to by the acronym SAK (Finnish: Suomen Ammattiliittojen Keskusjärjestö) is the biggest trade union confederation in Finland. ...

In 2006, the party's leader Suvi-Anne Siimes announced her resignation from the post as a result of long-standing feuds with the leftist section of the party. On May 13, 2006, Martti Korhonen was elected as the new party leader. For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Suvi-Anne Siimes (b. ... Martti Korhonen (born February 27, 1953) is a Finnish politician and member of Finnish Parliament, representing the Left Alliance. ...

Ideology

In spite of its origins, the party is attempting to break away from association to the ideologies of socialism and communism, and to associate more closely to the 'New Left'. However, many Finnish people still draw a parallel between the Left Alliance and communism.^{[citation needed]} The party's policy emphasises the link between social justice and the environment. Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to social control. ... Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a classless, stateless social organization based on common ownership of the means of production. ... The New Left is a term used in different countries to describe left-wing movements that occurred in the 1960s and 1970s. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Chairs

• Claes Andersson (1990–1998)
• Suvi-Anne Siimes (1998–2006)
• Martti Korhonen (2006–)

Suvi-Anne Siimes (b. ... Martti Korhonen (born February 27, 1953) is a Finnish politician and member of Finnish Parliament, representing the Left Alliance. ...

Electoral results

Parliament elections

Local council elections

European parliament elections

presidential

• 1994 3,8% 122 820 (Claes Andersson)
• 2000 no own candidate
• 2006 no own candidate, but supports current president of Finland, Tarja Halonen

External links

• Left Alliance website (Finnish)