Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin Concedes Defeat in Tightly Fought Election
In a significant turn of events, Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin has conceded defeat to the opposition National Coalition Party (NCP) in the country's parliamentary election. The NCP, led by Petteri Orpo, claimed victory with 48 seats, narrowly ahead of the nationalist Finns Party with 46 seats and Marin's Social Democrats on 43 seats.
Orpo vowed to "fix Finland" and its economy, while promising to curb spending and reduce public debt, which has reached over 70% of GDP since Marin took office in 2019. The NCP leader will now have the first chance at forming a coalition to obtain majority in parliament, marking an end to Marin's era as prime minister.
Marin, just 37 years old when she became the world's youngest prime minister in 2019, had faced criticism for her partying and government spending at home. Despite this, she has remained popular among many Finns, particularly young moderates. However, she antagonized some conservatives with lavish spending on pensions and education that they saw as not frugal enough.
The Finns Party's main goal is to reduce immigration from developing countries outside the European Union, a stance it shares with the NCP. Marin's Social Democrats may govern with the NCP but have ruled out joining government with the Finns Party, which has been accused of being "openly racist" by Marin.
The outcome marks a significant shift in Finnish politics, with the NCP taking power and promising to address the country's economic woes. The process of Finland seeking NATO membership, which was pushed forward during Marin's tenure, is now almost complete, with Helsinki expected to join within days after all 30 members approved the accession.
In a significant turn of events, Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin has conceded defeat to the opposition National Coalition Party (NCP) in the country's parliamentary election. The NCP, led by Petteri Orpo, claimed victory with 48 seats, narrowly ahead of the nationalist Finns Party with 46 seats and Marin's Social Democrats on 43 seats.
Orpo vowed to "fix Finland" and its economy, while promising to curb spending and reduce public debt, which has reached over 70% of GDP since Marin took office in 2019. The NCP leader will now have the first chance at forming a coalition to obtain majority in parliament, marking an end to Marin's era as prime minister.
Marin, just 37 years old when she became the world's youngest prime minister in 2019, had faced criticism for her partying and government spending at home. Despite this, she has remained popular among many Finns, particularly young moderates. However, she antagonized some conservatives with lavish spending on pensions and education that they saw as not frugal enough.
The Finns Party's main goal is to reduce immigration from developing countries outside the European Union, a stance it shares with the NCP. Marin's Social Democrats may govern with the NCP but have ruled out joining government with the Finns Party, which has been accused of being "openly racist" by Marin.
The outcome marks a significant shift in Finnish politics, with the NCP taking power and promising to address the country's economic woes. The process of Finland seeking NATO membership, which was pushed forward during Marin's tenure, is now almost complete, with Helsinki expected to join within days after all 30 members approved the accession.