This is a very rough translation of the analysis of the recent bourgeois municipality elections, its results and the stance of the revisionists and opportunists towards the election result and the crisis of bourgeois democracy, published originally in finnish.
The result of the bourgeois municipality election
On sunday 13th of June was the official election date for the bourgeois municipality elections. The turnout was historically low, lowest since 1945 (voter turnout 53,9 percent). In the year 2000 the turnout came close only 55,9 percent. This year the turnout was the lowest since the Second World War.
In the previous municipality elections the turnout was under 50 percent in only one municipality when in this year’s election we saw over 20 municipalities with turnouts under 50 percent. The low turnouts center on the poor Eastern parts of Finland: from the city of Kotka to municipality of Suomussalmi and from Pieksämäki to Ilomantsi. Nearly half of the municipalities with the low turnouts are small with populations under 10 thousand persons which include both regressive hinterlands and semi-large urban areas. The other half with turnouts under 50 percent are municipalities with 10 to 100 thousand inhabitants which are typically regressive industrial towns in Eastern Finland like the city of Lappeenranta or in the Western coast the city of Uusikaupunki with it’s large car factory (Valmet Automotive) or the university city of Joensuu. Two major cities with a population of over 100 thousand saw a low turnout of under 50 percent: Kuopio and Vantaa. The lowest turnouts were under 15 percent like in the Lummentie district in Tikkurila suburb in the city of Vantaa.
All the political parties of the bourgeois system suffered a defeat. What is essential is that the opportunists experienced a crushing defeat: the social democrats lost 248 seats (decrease of 15 percent), the Left Union lost 150 seats (almost a quarter) and the revisionist small party which calls itself the “Communist Party of Finland) lost the rest of its two seats in municipal councils. We see that the masses are increasingly abandoning opportunism. Maybe Halla-aho (from the “True Finns party”, a national chauvinist reformist fascist party) would have a reason to brag about the election result with his party gaining 580 seats more (a 75 percent increase). In the party council this demagogue claimed that his party was the “party of those that no-one listens). With only a support of 20 percent this claim is baseless since the total turnout was only close to 50 percent of the eligible to vote. The biggest amount of votes was claimed by the National Coalition Party 21,4 percent but even with these results it cannot claim to be the winner of the elections because only 11,7 percent of the total voters actually voted for it which is a worse result than in the previous municipality elections in 2017.
Reasons for the low turnout
The general analysis by the bourgeoisie scholars are grim. They have noted that the low turnout is a sign of the crisis of the bourgeois democratic system. They are calling the result a “counterfeit” and are trying to explain that the low turnout “was not an surprise” and that the result was better than the worst case scenario. They say that the “result was terrible for the democracy” and that “this low of a turnout is starting to be a problem for the legitimacy of the system”. The bourgeois scholars are talking about a crisis of democracy.
The basic reason for the low turnout is that the bourgeois democratic rights are getting even thinner for the masses which in turn leads the masses to abandon the election farse. Now in the name of the so called “corona time” we’ve seen massive attacks from the bourgeoisie against democracy so it was rather expected that the turnout would fall. It is very revealing that in the name of the corona virus the bourgeoisie has implemented a huge number of war time policies which can be regarded as the development of absolute centralism in in the context of a reactionary unjustified war. The election turnout has decreased coincidently to that of the times of war in 1945.
The ones who doubted that the turnout would not fall are being faced with the dire situation of the bourgeois system. These fantasies are nothing more than optimism towards imperialism and the denial of reality which is opening beneath our eyes. The deepening of the general crisis of imperialism and the sifting of the world revolution to it’s new face are acting as motor fuel for the crisis of democracy. The bourgeoisie is responding by further restricting democracy. We are living in the time of war and the absolute centralism on side of the reaction and the restriction of democracy are leading the masses to abandon the electoral farse in ever increasing numbers. The election result reaffirms that the revolutionaries must abandon all illusions and prepare for the struggle to come.
The revisionists stance on the election result
In the previous municipality elections the revisionist small party the so called “Communist Party of Finland” saw its elected representatives in the city and municipality councils fall from nine to two and now it has lost the rest of the two seats. The total votes fell almost half and its percentage of the total votes fell to 0,2 percent nationally. In the capital Helsinki its support fell from 0,8 percent to a mere 0,5 percent.
After experiencing yet another crushing defeat it published on its website a fairy tale captioned: “Classless elections” where they moan: “In the perspective of participation and democracy choosing not to vote is fatal. Renouncing participation is a signal of the class situation and the lack of faith in politics.” Both of these sentences are nothing more than classless fraud – the same that the bourgeoisie clerics are pedling. Democracy, for who? Marxism says there are no democracy that overwrites class. The decision of the masses to not to vote is a just and correct reaction. The revisionist are turning reality upside down. The legitimacy of the bourgeois democracy has again suffered a heavy blow and the supporters of the socialist revolution are rejoicing. But the revisionists are parliamentary cretinist. They think that the only way to affect society is trough voting which they confessing by telling fairy tales of “lack of faith in politics”. In reality the masses are lacking fate in the electoral farse.
The election boycott reaffirms the marxist understanding
Lenin teaches us the basic reason for the masses abandoning the electoral farse. Democracy for the insignifficant minority, democracy for the rich – that is the democracy of the capitalist society. The restrictions implemented against the poor peoples livelihoods may seem small especially for those who have never suffered poverty and those who have not witnessed up close the daily lives of the poor. These include 99/100 of the bourgeois reporters and politicians. As a whole these restrictions push the poor masses out of politics and away from the active participation in democracy.
The masses can only seek satisfaction for their needs in revolutionary struggle. For this fight democracy is not a bad thing but a good thing just like Chairman Mao Zedong teaches. Mobilising the masses for revolutionary struggle demands democratic centralism, a institution which is the legislative and executive at the same time like Marx describes. The more the masses abandon the electoral farse the more they seek solution from revolution. Rising poverty and unemployment and the upcoming attacks from the bourgeoisie against the masses are forcing the masses to take part in revolutionary struggle. The despair of the masses will turn into popular rebellion of the masses and the rise of the revolutionary movement. It’s only a matter of time because the conditions for it are present. The revolutionaries must abandon illusions and prepare for the struggle.
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Mobilization in solidarity with the LCP in the city of Tampere
Friday 18th of June.
On a sunny summer day in the centrum of the City of Tampere a mobilization was held in solidarity with the revolutionary movement of the poor peasants in Brazil.
A speech was heard in which the brazilian federal government and the government of the state of Rondonia were denounced and their wreched crimes against the League of the Poor Peasants and its efforts for the criminalization of the struggle for land; including assasinations and illegal raids to peasant homes. Special attention was given to the four poor peasants Ezequiel, Luis Carlos, Estefane and Ricardo who are being jailed by the reaction. The speech highlighted the heroic resistance in the battle of Santa Elina and proclaimed solidarity for the revolutionary movement of the poor peasants in Brazil and the justified struggle for land.
Out in the open were slogans like “Solidarity for the revolutionary movement of the poor peasants in Brazil! Viva a LCP!”, signs showing support for the jailed four peasants and sings saying: “Marcos Rocha is a murderer!” and “Cisneiro Pacha is a murderer!”
11 people attended the mobilization.
Even a police unite showed up at the scene for a little moment.
The mobilization ended in a vibrant shout: “VIVA A LCP!”