'Party Controversy' Marine Prime Minister Finally Ousted Amid Far-Right Wave (Summary)

by Jo Youjin

Published 03 Apr.2023 08:34(KST)

In the Finnish general election, the center-right National Coalition Party's victory marked Finland's entry into the wave of far-right movements sweeping across Europe. The Social Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who faced controversy after a party video was leaked, narrowly fell to third place behind the far-right Finns Party.

According to Politico and others on the 2nd (local time), with 99% of the votes counted in the Finnish general election, the National Coalition Party received 20.8%, the Finns Party 20.1%, and the Social Democratic Party 19.9%. Accordingly, the parties secured 48, 46, and 43 seats respectively out of the total 200 seats.

Petteri Orpo, leader of the National Coalition Party, said, "It was a great victory," and added, "We will begin negotiations to form the Finnish government based on the election results." Prime Minister Marin acknowledged the election defeat. He said, "Congratulations to the National Coalition Party and the Finns Party," calling it "the will of democracy."

Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

When Marin became prime minister in 2019, she was the world's youngest elected leader and was regarded as a role model for domestic and international MZ generations, successfully leading the resolution of the COVID-19 crisis and Finland's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). However, last August, a party video involving politicians and entertainers was leaked, sparking controversy including allegations of drug use, and criticism grew as the debt-to-GDP ratio soared from 64% at the time of her administration to 73%.

Riikka Purra, leader of the Finns Party, which came in second in this election, expressed gratitude to supporters and called it "the best election result ever." First securing seats in the 2015 general election, the Finns Party's support surged since last summer amid soaring inflation and economic slowdown. The Finns Party has linked organized crime issues in neighboring Sweden to immigrants, advocating anti-immigration policies, and has set Finland's withdrawal from the European Union (EU) as a long-term goal.

Although it is not yet clear whether Orpo will form a coalition government with the Social Democratic Party or the Finns Party, AFP reported that he has disagreements with both parties on various issues.

Orpo has criticized Prime Minister Marin for weakening Finland's economic stability and opposes the Finns Party's anti-immigration policies, EU withdrawal, and climate policies. Having first entered the cabinet in 2007 and served as Minister of Finance, Minister of the Interior, and Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Orpo has led the National Coalition Party since 2016 and is regarded as a calm, inclusive, and pragmatic politician.

During the election campaign, he sharply criticized Marin's government's fiscal policies and told AFP just before voting, "The thing the National Coalition Party most wants to change in Finland is to stop the increase in debt."