Aftermath of the 'Gwangran Party'? Finnish Prime Minister Expected to Lose in General Election

by Jo Youjin

Published 03 Apr.2023 06:19(KST)

Updated 03 Apr.2023 09:22(KST)

Finland Public Broadcaster: "Opposition Narrow Victory" Yes

In the middle of the vote count in Finland's general election, the center-right National Coalition Party is leading by a narrow margin, putting Prime Minister Sanna Marin's position at risk. With a wave of far-right movements sweeping across Europe, attention is focused on whether Finland will join this trend.

On the 2nd (local time), according to a survey by Finland's public broadcaster Yle, major foreign media reported that with 71% of the votes counted, the opposition National Coalition Party is expected to win by a slim margin.

Earlier, data released by the Finnish Ministry of Justice showed that with 40.1% of the votes counted, the opposition National Coalition Party received 20.8% of the votes, narrowly ahead of Prime Minister Marin's Social Democratic Party, which received 20.7%. The far-right Finns Party recorded 18.6%.

When Marin became prime minister in 2019, she was the world's youngest elected leader and was regarded as a role model for the MZ generation, having smoothly led the resolution of the COVID-19 crisis and Finland's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

However, controversy arose after a video of a 'wild party' filmed in a private setting was leaked. She has also faced criticism for the debt-to-GDP ratio soaring from 64% at the time of her administration to 73% recently.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

If the National Coalition Party wins as currently ranked, leader Petteri Orpo is likely to gain the authority to form a coalition government, which would probably force Prime Minister Marin to step down.

The National Coalition Party has led in opinion polls over the past two years. Recently, their support has slightly declined. The party has promised to halt the rise in the debt-to-GDP ratio.

Leader Orpo has criticized Prime Minister Marin for weakening Finland's economic stability amid soaring living costs caused by the European energy crisis following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.