Finland’s center-right leader won a tight general election on Sunday defeating Sanna Marin. While the far-right posting a record score to place second. Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Social Democrats finished third.
“Congratulations to the winner of the elections, congratulations to the National Coalition Party, congratulations to the Finns Party. Democracy has spoken,” Sanna Marin told her supporters.
Petteri Orpo, The New Prime minister
“This was a great victory,” Petteri Orpo, the 53-year-old leader of the conservative National Coalition Party, told his supporters.
“On the basis of this election result,” he said. “we will begin negotiating a government in Finland.”
Orpo could form a government with either the far-right Finns Party or the Social Democrats. Though he disagrees with both on a number of topics.
With 99 percent of the votes tallied, the centre-right received 48 of the 200 seats in parliament. The far-right received 46, and the Social Democrats received 43.
In terms of ballots, the centre-right received 20.6 percent. The far-right received 20.1 percent, and the Social Democrats received 19.9 percent.
The largest party in parliament typically gets the first opportunity to form a government. And that party has always claimed the prime minister’s office since the 1990s.
Orpo has made the economy his top priority after his comfortable advantage in the polls shrank in the final stages of the campaign.
The debt-to-GDP ratio in Finland has increased from 64 percent in 2019 to 73 percent. Which his National Coalition intends to address by cutting expenditure by six billion euros ($6.5 billion).
Meanwhile, the 45-year-old leader of the anti-immigrant Finns Party, Riikka Purra, thanked her supporters. For the party’s “best election result ever” amid cheers of “Finland! Finland!”
The party, which entered government for the first time in 2015, has seen its popularity skyrocket since the summer cost of living crisis caused by Russia’s attack of Ukraine.
Purra even received the most direct votes in the race. With 38,000 more than the 35,000 casts for Marin. Who polls show is Finland’s most popular prime minister this century.
The eurosceptic Finns Party, which is overwhelmingly supported by male electors. Favours a tough stance on immigration.
Purra claims that recent arrivals are to blame for an increase in street gangs. Citing neighbouring Sweden as a cautionary story.
The Finns Party views “Fixit,” as leaving the European Union. As a long-term goal and wants to postpone Finland’s carbon neutrality target for 2035.
Tough talks ahead
Marin, who became the world’s youngest prime minister in 2019 at the age of 34, has struggled to convert her overwhelming personal popularity into support for her SDP.
“Congratulations to the National Coalition Party, congratulations to the Finns Party. Democracy has spoken,” she said as she acknowledged defeat.
Negotiations to build a government are expected to be thorny and could last several weeks.
Orpo has said he will keep his options open, and could cooperate either with the left or the far-right, whom Marin has qualified as “openly racist”.
Orpo’s National Coalition is at odds with Marin’s SDP on budget austerity, and clashes with the Finns Party on immigration, the EU and climate policy.