One Of the World’s Youngest Leaders Has Been Voted Out

Finland’s far-right is celebrating its best-ever result in the country’s national elections on Sunday, after finishing second to the conservative National Coalition and ahead of Sanna Marin’s Social Democratic party in a close-fought contest that ended Marin’s tenure as prime minister.

The conservative National Coalition party finished with 20.8 percent of the vote, with the anti-immigration, anti-EU Finns party next on 20.1 percent – its strongest-ever result - and Marin’s Social Democratic party close behind on 19.9 percent of the vote. 

The results give the National Coalition, led by Petteri Orpo, a 53-year-old former finance minister, the opportunity to lead talks to form a governing coalition, a process that he said would be drawn-out, as “differences of opinion are very large.” With 48 seats in Finland’s 200-seat parliament, Orpo’s party needs the support of at least two other parties to secure a majority.

Orpo has said he would talk to all parties to form a coalition, while Marin has said that her party would not go into government with the Finns party, which she labelled “openly racist” during a debate in January.

Despite a controversy last year over a leaked video of her partying with friends, Marin continues to have high poll ratings. The main issue in the election was Finland’s public debt, with the budget deficit rising to €8 billion this year.  

Finns party leader Riikka Purra was thrilled about her party’s strongest-ever election performance, besting the 19.1 percent it won in 2011.

“I am basking in the satisfaction and gratitude that the party has achieved the biggest electoral victory in its history,” said Purra, whose party seeks to cut immigration and, in the longer term, leave the EU. “The last few months and weeks have been indescribable. We are touching people. True Finns have gathered together like a flock of penguins in a storm.”

Orpo, whose party had led in polls for two years but had seen its advantage shrink ahead of polling day, told public broadcaster Yle that the result was a “big victory” and “a strong mandate for our policies.”

Despite the outcome spelling an end to her prime ministership, Marin – a 37-year-old progressive who became the youngest prime minister when she came to power four years ago – heralded the results as a “great day,” noting that her party had increased its share of the vote since the previous election in 2019.

“I am really proud of all of you,” she told her colleagues. “It’s a great day because we’ve done well. Democracy has spoken and we have reason to be happy about this result.”