initially santeri alkio was active in the young finnish party, but in the end decided it was too liberal for the farming population; urbanized parties did not, in his estimation, pay enough attention to the causes that were most important to farmers. to keep the agrarian folk from becoming ensnared by socialism, he founded the "etelä-pohjanmaan nuorsuomalainen maalaisliitto" ("young-finnish countrymens' union of southern ostrobothnia"), which he later fused into the less ideological "maalaisväestön liitto" ("union of the rural population", later centre party of finland). alkio became the chief ideologue of the maalaisliitto, and is still considered the father of the party in spirit. the party still refers to "alkioish" tendencies in some of its factions.