A Conservative coalition has been formed in Finland after the previous leader’s resignation in April. The National Coalition Party (NCP), the nationalist Finns Party, the minority-language Swedish People’s Party along with the Christian Democrats, said they will work together in a bid to tackle mass migration and enact stricter fiscal policies.
The four parties concluded negotiations after seven weeks of discussion. Finland is the latest European country seen to be clearly moving towards the Right side of the political spectrum, after Sweden and Italy shifted the same way.
“All issues have been resolved and the papers are ready,” said NCP leader, Petteri Orpo, a fiscal conservative set to become Finland’s next prime minister. The new government has a comfortable majority, with 108 seats of 200 in the national parliament.
Orpo’s administration is expected to try to reduce the fiscal deficit by fighting unemployment and cutting welfare benefits. This is needed because Finland’s debt rocketed under the previous government of Socialists and Greens, while its newly acquired Nato membership will increase its defence spending – a position supported across the Finnish political scene, apart from the Communists.
The new government will further relax environmental obligations and adopt stricter immigration policies. In the future, unemployed foreigners will be required to leave the country after three months, citizenship can only be applied for after a minimum of eight years of residency, and family reunification will be significantly more challenging.
There will also be substantial budget cuts to foreign aid and, with the formation of the coalition, increased euro-scepticism may well become evident.
The latest move sees Finland making a U-turn from the policies of recently deposed Finnish Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, who was a star of the European Left. The end of her reign, however, was mired in gossip and scandal, highlighted by now-infamous party videos, a drug test and a failing marriage.
Puheenjohtajamme @PetteriOrpo:
"Meidän tehtävämme on suomalaisten puolesta laittaa Suomen asioita kuntoon. Me olemme tämän velkaa äänestäjille, jotka ovat antaneet meille vahvimman valtakirjan vaaleissa. Tavoitteemme on vahva ja välittävä Suomi." ?#kokoomus #hallitusohjelma pic.twitter.com/Kwxg4eFtHT
— Kokoomus (@kokoomus) June 16, 2023
