Finland’s main conservative party has won a close parliamentary election. With all votes counted this Sunday (2), the center-right National Coalition Party (NCP) came in first with 20.8 percent.
They were followed by the right-wing populist party, The Finns, with 20.1 percent, while the Social Democrats of Prime Minister Sanna Marin got 19.9 percent.
With the three main parties each getting about 20 percent of the vote, no party is in a position to form a government on its own.
More than 2,400 candidates from 22 parties were vying for the 200 seats in the Nordic country’s parliament.
“We got the biggest mandate,” NCP leader Petteri Orpo said as he claimed victory, surrounded by supporters at a restaurant in the capital, Helsinki.
“Based on this result, negotiations on the formation of a new government for Finland will begin under the leadership of the National Coalition Party,” he said.
Marin, who at 37 is one of Europe’s youngest leaders, admitted defeat.
“Congratulations to the winner of the election, congratulations to the National Coalition Party, congratulations to the Party of Finns. Democracy has spoken,” the prime minister said in a speech to party members.
“We won support; we won more seats [in parliament]. It’s an excellent achievement, even if we didn’t finish first today,” he added.
Marin, regarded by fans worldwide as a millennial role model for new leftist leaders, has received international praise for her vocal support for Ukraine and her prominent role, along with President Sauli Niinisto, in advocating Finland’s successful bid to join NATO.
But at home, she has faced criticism for her parties and her government’s lavish public spending, including on pensions and education.
The NCP, which has led the polls for nearly two years, accused Marin of eroding the country’s economic resilience at a time when Europe’s energy crisis, driven by Russia’s war in Ukraine, has hit the country hard, and the cost of living has risen.
He has promised to rein in spending and stop the rise in public debt, which has reached just over 70 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) since Marin took office in 2019.
Orpo, 53, told the Associated Press news agency on Sunday that Finland’s solidarity with Ukraine would remain strong during his tenure.
“First to Ukraine: we stand by you, with you,” the former finance minister said at the NCP victory event.
“We cannot accept this terrible war. And we will do everything necessary to help Ukraine, the Ukrainian people because they are fighting for us. That is clear.”
“And the message to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is: get out of Ukraine because you will lose,” Orpo said.
The NCP’s share of votes translates into 48 seats in Eduskunta, Finland’s parliament. At the same time, the Finns, a nationalist party that runs mainly on an anti-immigration and anti-European Union agenda, will get 46 seats and Marin’s Social Democrats 43 seats, respectively.
Observers say the result signifies a power shift in Finland’s political landscape, as the country is likely to have a new center-right government with nationalist overtones.
Government formation negotiations led by the NCP are expected to begin in the coming days to form a cabinet with a majority in parliament.
The NCP is open to cooperation with the Finns as the two parties share views on developing Finland’s economy. However, they have differences in climate policies and EU 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 built NATO-Finland, and we fixed our economy.”
“We boosted our economic growth and created new jobs. These are the crucial, major, important issues that we have to write into the government’s program,” he said.