Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin conceded defeat in Sunday's parliamentary election, with the opposition right-wing National Coalition Party (NCP) claiming victory. The NCP secured 48 seats in parliament, narrowly ahead of the nationalist Finns Party with 46 seats and Marin's Social Democrats on 43 seats.
According to election data, the NCP has led polls for almost two years, although its lead had melted away in recent months. Its leader, Petteri Orpo, vowed to "fix Finland" and curb spending, which he claims has reached unsustainable levels. Orpo said the NCP would negotiate with all groups to obtain a majority in parliament.
Marin, 37, who is considered a millennial role model for progressive new leaders, faced criticism for her partying and government's public spending. She called the Finns Party "openly racist" during a debate in January, which they rejected. Marin conceded defeat and vowed that her Social Democrats would govern with the NCP but not with the Finns Party.
The opposition party has promised to curb deficit spending and reduce public debt, which has reached over 70% of GDP since Marin took office in 2019. The NCP's main goal is to reduce "harmful" immigration from developing countries outside the European Union and implement austerity policies.
Marin's era as prime minister was expected to end following the election. Most notable of her foreign policy actions has been her push for Finland to seek NATO membership in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The country is now on the verge of joining the Western defense alliance after all 30 members approved its accession.
The outcome of the election marks a significant shift in Finnish politics, with the NCP and Finns Party presenting themselves as alternatives to Marin's centrist government.
According to election data, the NCP has led polls for almost two years, although its lead had melted away in recent months. Its leader, Petteri Orpo, vowed to "fix Finland" and curb spending, which he claims has reached unsustainable levels. Orpo said the NCP would negotiate with all groups to obtain a majority in parliament.
Marin, 37, who is considered a millennial role model for progressive new leaders, faced criticism for her partying and government's public spending. She called the Finns Party "openly racist" during a debate in January, which they rejected. Marin conceded defeat and vowed that her Social Democrats would govern with the NCP but not with the Finns Party.
The opposition party has promised to curb deficit spending and reduce public debt, which has reached over 70% of GDP since Marin took office in 2019. The NCP's main goal is to reduce "harmful" immigration from developing countries outside the European Union and implement austerity policies.
Marin's era as prime minister was expected to end following the election. Most notable of her foreign policy actions has been her push for Finland to seek NATO membership in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The country is now on the verge of joining the Western defense alliance after all 30 members approved its accession.
The outcome of the election marks a significant shift in Finnish politics, with the NCP and Finns Party presenting themselves as alternatives to Marin's centrist government.
I'm so over this election drama already! Finland's gone from being that cool, progressive country to...I don't know...a bunch of right-wing folks trying to reduce public debt and immigration? 
It's all about cutting spending and austerity policies now. What's the point of living in a utopia if you can just go back to being all boring and stuff? 
The NCP's promise to 'fix Finland' is pretty vague, if you ask me. Who gets to decide what 'fixed' means anyway? 
And don't even get me started on Petteri Orpo's 'openly racist' comment...major backpedaling needed there 
. She was always seen as so young and inspiring for her role, but now it looks like she's facing some tough criticism from different sides 
. It's crazy that the NCP is trying to promise big changes with their austerity policies, though 
. I'm a bit worried about how this might affect immigration in Finland - I get why they want to control spending and all, but don't they think that could lead to some problems for people who are already struggling? 
so finland just had an election and it looks like the ncp is winning 
but i'm kinda surprised cuz they've been saying they wanna reduce immigration and stuff... meanwhile marin was all about trying to join nato 
what does that even mean for finland's future? 
it seems like they're trying to shift away from marin's centrist gov, but idk if that's a good idea, cuz she did some pretty progressive things 
- think it's gonna be interesting to see how Orpo & Co implement their austerity measures... been critical of public spending in the past, but will they actually make a difference? 
wonder what'll happen to immigration policies too... seems like Finland's got some big shoes to fill after Marin's time in office 
and it made me think about how Finland is like that one really cool park with lots of trails you can take on a whim... but sometimes the views are so beautiful they distract you from noticing any actual progress 
. Like, I'm sure Petteri Orpo's promise to "fix Finland" is all well and good, but what if we're just going in circles like that one trail that looks great on paper but ends up being a slog? 
.
. The fact that they're trying to distance themselves from Marin's "centrist" gov is pretty telling too 
. Time will tell if this new gov can live up to their promises 
!
. but it's also worth noting that marin's progressive policies have been popular among younger generations 
.
. while it's true that some might see them as "openly racist", i think it's more complex than that 
. overall, this election result feels like a shift towards more conservative policies, but with some caveats 
! Sanna Marin is OUT 
and I'm literally still trying to process it all 
.
. not to mention their stance on immigration is kinda reasonable 
she's still got her social democrats and they're gonna work together with the ncp... it's not like she lost everything 
anyway, congrats to petteri orpo and his team on their win 
.
should they be lookin out for more conflicts in eastern europe? 
and i gotta say i'm kinda surprised she didn't hold out for longer. i mean, all those partying pics didn't exactly help her case lol. but seriously, the ncp's win makes sense - finns are gettin' tired of all the spending and immigration stuff. plus, they're all about fixin' things, which is a pretty popular platform these days 
we'll see how that plays out.
she was like my ultimate girl boss lol but i guess you cant win 'em all...anyway its time for a new gov now 
hope petteri orpo is more on point than everyone made him out to be 
thats some major world stage stuff! 
... she seems like such a strong leader too 
... the country's been doing alright so far... 
. I mean, what's next? They're already talking about curbing "harmful" immigration, which sounds like code for discriminating against people from non-EU countries 
. Finland is already struggling with high unemployment rates and low wages... can't they see that cutting spending will only make things worse? 
. Not looking forward to it, tbh