The Åland Centre (Swedish: Åländsk Center) is an agrarian-centrist[3] political party on the Åland Islands. The party was founded by Karl-Anders Bergman in 1976.[4]
The party has had four premiers of Åland including: Folke Woivalin (1979–1988), Ragnar Erlandsson (1991–1995), Roger Nordlund (1999–2007), and Veronica Thörnroos (2019–2023).
The party is affiliated with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.[5] Mats Löfström, the current MP of Åland in the Finnish parliament, represents Åland Centre.[6]
History
The party was founded in 1976, when the Swedish Centre Party was the largest non-socialist party in Sweden and hold the position of Prime Minister. Åland Centre then created its youth wing, 'Young Centre', in 1976, and a women's organization in 1988. In the 1979 Ålandic legislative election, the party won 42.3% of the popular vote at its first election, becoming the largest party in the Lagting. Subsequently, the party had emerged as the largest party in Åland in majority of the Ålandic elections.[7]
The party lost its longstanding position as the largest party in 2015 Ålandic legislative election. Ever since, it has been positioning itself as the opponent of centralization and municipal reforms, opposing the governmental proposals to reduce the number of municipalities from 16 to 4. The party maintains its dominance in the rural and archipelago municipalities of Åland.[7]
Election results
Parliament of Åland (Lagting)
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/- | Place | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 3,954 | 42.34 | 14 / 30
|
New | 1st | — |
| 1983 | 3,704 | 35.62 | 11 / 30
|
 3
|
1st | — |
| 1987 | 3,063 | 28.73 | 9 / 30
|
2
|
1st | Coalition |
| 1991 | 3,242 | 30.16 | 10 / 30
|
 1
|
1st | Coalition |
| 1995 | 3,118 | 27.78 | 9 / 30
|
1
|
1st | Coalition |
| 1999 | 3,292 | 27.32 | 9 / 30
|
|
2nd | Coalition |
| 2003 | 2,980 | 24.14 | 7 / 30
|
2
|
1st | Coalition |
| 2007 | 3,107 | 24.23 | 8 / 30
|
1
|
2nd | Coalition |
| 2011 | 3,068 | 23.65 | 7 / 30
|
1
|
1st | Coalition |
| 2015 | 2,984 | 21.60 | 7 / 30
|
|
2nd | Opposition |
| 2019 | 3,970 | 27.84 | 9 / 30
|
2
|
1st | Coalition |
| 2023 | 1,757 | 21.24 | 7 / 30
|
2
|
2nd | Coalition |
References
- ^ a b "Lagtings- och kommunalval 2023 Åland, Finland". Valresultat. 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Hepburn, Eve. "Forging autonomy in a unitary state The Åland Islands in Finland" (PDF). Comparative European Politics. 12 (4–5). University of Edinburgh: 468-487. doi:10.1057/cep.2014.10.
Since the 1970s, Åland politics has been dominated by two centrist parties: the Liberals in Åland (Liberalerna på Åland) and the centrist and agrarian-oriented Åland Centre (Åländsk Center), which have tended to lead coalition governments.
- ^ Christina Bergqvist (1 January 1999). Equal Democracies?: Gender and Politics in the Nordic Countries. Nordic Council of Ministers. pp. 319–. ISBN 978-82-00-12799-4.
- ^ "Historik". Centern på Åland (in Swedish). 18 July 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
- ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2020). Parties and Elections in Europe. Books on Demand. p. 202. ISBN 9783750481343.
- ^ "Mats Löfström". Parliament of Finland. 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ a b Arter, David (2022). "Personal representation or party representation? Elections in the autonomous Åland Islands". Regional & Federal Studies. 32 (4). Taylor & Francis: 511–24. doi:10.1080/13597566.2022.2047940.
See also
External links
- Official web site (in Swedish)
| Parliamentary parties |
|
|---|---|
| Coalition for the Finnish parliamentary election | |
| Historical parties | |
