Communist Workers' Party – For Peace And Socialism
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Communist Workers' Party – For Peace and Socialism (, KTP) is a communist party in
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
. It was founded in 1988 to secure the existence of an independent Marxist–Leninist party. Since it was founded, it has been re-registered and subsequently de-registered multiple times. Since its founding, it has failed to gain any seats in the
Parliament of Finland The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral and Parliamentary sovereignty, supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that ...
. The party has been de-registered since 2019.


History

The Finnish communist movement was split in the mid-1980s after years of infighting. Those expelled from the
Communist Party of Finland The Communist Party of Finland (, SKP; ) was a communist political party in Finland. The SKP was a section of Comintern and illegal in Finland until 1944. The SKP was banned by the state from its founding and did not participate in any elec ...
(SKP) formed the Communist Party of Finland (Unity) (SKPy) which, however, itself soon split into different factions. KTP was founded in 1988 by one part of the Finnish communists who thought the SKPy had ventured too far from the principles of Marxism–Leninism. The final decision to find a new communist party was made in the autumn 1987 seminar held in
Matinkylä Matinkylä (; , ; both literally translated the "village of Matt/ Matti") is one of the major districts of Espoo, a city on the southern coast of Finland. Matinkylä sits between the Länsiväylä highway and the coast of the Gulf of Finland, bet ...
. The Marxist–Leninists behind the project felt themselves neglected since the Dipoli Congress of the SKPy in 1986. Many of the KTP cadres came from the (expelled)
Uusimaa Uusimaa (; , ; both lit. 'new land') is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, Helsinki, alo ...
district of the SKP which, since the late 1970s, had had its disputes with the opposition of the SKP led by the Tiedonantaja society. In 2002, the KTP split over question of alliances possible for a communist party. The Central Committee of the KTP rejected after voting (18–9) a proposed membership in a new (electoral) party, Forces for Change in Finland (MVS), in which clearly right-wing elements were also going to participate. MVS was supported especially by the
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
district organization of the KTP which then decided to enter the MVS without their comrades. KTP answered by expelling the above-mentioned organization and many leading members of the party, including Heikki Männikkö (the party secretary), Reijo Katajaranta (the editor-in-chief of the KTP organ) and Pekka Tiainen (the former presidential candidate in 1994), all had to go. The communists that were expelled then founded their own organization, which was at first plainly called ’The Communists’, but later changed to League of Communists (or Communist League). The KTP has avoided contacting and doings with their ex-members. The KTP got some unexpected nationwide publicity ahead the local elections in 2004 when the
Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...
and
Raisio Raisio (; ) is a town in Finland, located in the Southwest Finland region. It lies north of the regional capital, Turku. The population of Raisio is approximately , while the sub-region has a population of approximately . It is the most populou ...
branches of the party made an electoral alliance with the
anti-immigration Opposition to immigration, also known as anti-immigration, is a political position that seeks to restrict immigration. In the modern sense, immigration refers to the entry of people from one state or territory into another state or territory in ...
party Finnish People's Blue-Whites. The KTP party leadership reacted strongly and condemned the manoeuvres. The alliances were, however, already signed and the KTP candidates stood in the two west coast cities with no success. The broader KTP didn't advertise their rebel candidates. The man behind the alliances, Esko Luukkonen, was discharged from all party responsibilities, and he along with the KTP Turku district organization later joined the League of Communists.


Politics

The KTP's platform is rooted in the Soviet tradition of Marxism–Leninism. However, the KTP has included a critique of the revisionism of the former
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
as part of party ideology since the establishment of the party. Lead members of the KTP have been known to quote
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
and use traditional Leninist rhetoric. Party members have also rejected the idea of
Eurocommunism Eurocommunism was a trend in the 1970s and 1980s within various Western European communist parties, which said they had developed a theory and practice of social transformation more relevant for Western Europe. During the Cold War, they sough ...
. The KTP has shown support for
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
, also known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) with KTP party members often praising the leadership of the DPRK's current governing body. Many of Kim Jong-Il's writings have also been published by the KTP, and the party members have participated in the . The KTP has been strictly against Finland's participation in the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
and the adoption of the
euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...
as Finland's currency. KTP party members have been known to boycott
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
elections.


Organization

The KTP holds party congresses in which the official delegates choose the members of the important Central Committee. Little change usually happens. The current chairperson of the party is Mikko Vartiainen. Vartiainen was preceded by Hannu Harju, who became the chairperson in 1997. Harju was preceded by Timo Lahdenmäki. The KTP has been a small party all its history and it currently has some 200 members. The candidates of the KTP in the parliamentary elections have failed to get the attention of voters and the party has managed to gather only a few thousand votes. The KTP has had some local strongholds, like the city of
Kemi Kemi (; ; ; ) is a cities of Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is located approximately from the city of Tornio and the Finland–Sweden border, Swedish border. The distance to Oulu is to the south and t ...
in northern Finland where Pirkko Ezewuzie was a city council member until the end of the year 2008. The party, with its own candidate lists, has also participated in the elections of some trade unions and co-operatives. The KTP has international contacts even though the party is not a member of any international organization. The Russian Communist Workers' Party – Revolutionary Party of Communists has warm relations with the KTP as well as the Nordic Communist Party of Sweden (SKP), Communist Party in Denmark (KPiD) and
Communist Party of Norway The Communist Party of Norway (, NKP) is a communist party in Norway. The NKP was formed in 1923, following a split in the Norwegian Labour Party. It was Stalinist from its establishment and, as such, supported the Soviet government while oppo ...
(NKP). ' (TKS), which appears fifteen times a year, is the official print publication of the KTP. The current editor-in-chief of TKS is Rauno Lintunen. On the Helsinki area Lähiradio radio station, the KTP has a weekly program called ''Työväen puolituntinen''.


Electoral performance


See also

*
List of Communist Party (Finland) breakaway parties Since the founding of the Communist Party of Finland The Communist Party of Finland (, SKP; ) was a communist political party in Finland. The SKP was a section of Comintern and illegal in Finland until 1944. The SKP was banned by the state ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Communist Workers' Party - For Peace and Socialism Political parties established in 1988 1988 establishments in Finland Political schisms Communist parties in Finland