The party's over for Finland's dancing prime minister

AP Photo/Darko Bandic

Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin lost her bid for reelection as her party, the Social Democratic Party came in third during Sunday’s parliamentary elections. It was a tight three-way race that saw Finland’s main conservative party, the center-right National Coalition Party (NCP) take first place. The right-wing populist party, The Finns, came in second, and Marin’s party came in third place.

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The NCP received 20.8% of the vote, The Finns got 20.1%, and the Social Democrats got 19.9% of the vote. No party is in a position to form a government alone so the NCP will initiate forming a coalition government. More than 2,400 candidates from 22 parties were vying for the 200 seats in Finland’s parliament. Voter turnout in the election was 71.9%, slightly down from the 2019 election. For reference, in the United States, the 2020 presidential election had the highest voter turnout of the 21st century, with 66.8% of citizens 18 years and older voting in the election.

“Based on this result, talks over forming a new government in Finland will be initiated under the leadership of the National Coalition Party,” said the party’s elated leader Petteri Orpo, as he claimed victory surrounded by supporters gathered in a restaurant in the capital, Helsinki.

Marin is popular in Finland. At age 37, she is one of Europe’s youngest leaders. She has received praise for her strong support of Ukraine and for her work with President Sauli Niinisto on Finland’s successful application to join NATO. She’s known to have some fun during her time off, with her love of dance parties with her friends being the subject of stories in the media. She’s 37. What’s wrong with blowing off some steam with friends when she’s off the clock?

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NCP will have 48 seats in the Eduskunta, Finland’s Parliament. The Finns will have 46 seats and the Social Democrats will have 43 seats.

Orpo delivered a message to Ukraine during the NCP’s victory party. And he had a brief message for Vladimir Putin – go away.

The 53-year-old Orpo, Finland’s former finance minister and likely new prime minister, assured that the Nordic country’s solidarity with Kyiv would remain strong during his tenure.

“First to Ukraine: we stand by you, with you,” Orpo told the Associated Press at NCP’s victory event. “We cannot accept this terrible war. And we will do all that is needed to help Ukraine, Ukrainian people because they fight for us. This is clear.”

“And the message to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is: go away from Ukraine because you will lose,” Orpo said.

This election is a power shift in Finland’s politics. The country will get a new center-right government with nationalist tones. Marin’s government was a center-left one. The coalition talks will begin in the coming days to put together a Cabinet. Orpo and the NCP focused on economic issues.

“I trust the Finnish tradition of negotiating with all parties, and trying to find the best possible majority government for Finland,” Orpo told the AP.

“And you know what is important for us? It’s that we are an active member of the European Union. We build up NATO-Finland, and we fix our economy. We boost our economic growth and create new jobs. These are the crucial, main, important issues we have to write into the government program,” he said.

The positions of Marin’s party on the Finnish economy emerged as a main campaign theme and were challenged by conservatives, who remain critical of the Social Democrats’ economic policies and are unlikely to partner with them.

Orpo had hammered on Finland’s growing government debt and the need to make budget cuts throughout the election. NCP is open to cooperation with The Finns as the two parties largely share view on developing Finland’s economy though have differences in climate policies and EU issues.

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It sounds like a good victory for conservatives in Finland.

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David Strom 6:00 AM | April 26, 2024
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