Status: 04/05/2023 11:12 a.m
After the defeat of her Social Democrats in the parliamentary elections in Finland, Prime Minister Marin announced that she would step down as party leader. The Conservatives had become the strongest force in the election.
Finland’s outgoing prime minister, Sanna Marin, is stepping down as party leader following the Social Democrats’ election defeat at the weekend. In the future, however, she will continue to serve as a member of parliament, Marin said at a press conference in Helsinki. “I will begin my work as a Member of the newly elected Parliament next week.”
And she hopes to be able to lead a “quieter life” with it, Marin explained. She ruled out a position as a minister in the next government coalition, which is expected to be led by the Conservatives – even if her party does not rule out participation in a government alliance.
The 37-year-old has been Prime Minister of Finland since December 2019. Marin’s cabinet is scheduled to be officially dissolved on Thursday.
Social Democrats only came third in the election
The Social Democrats suffered a bitter defeat in last Sunday’s parliamentary elections: the party came in third with 19.9 percent of all votes – behind the conservatives, who got 20.8 percent, and the right-wing populists with 20.1 percent.
On the evening of the election, Marin conceded defeat and congratulated the conservative National Coalition Party and its leader, Petteri Orpo, on their victory.
Difficult search for governing coalition expected
The Conservatives now have the task of forming a new governing coalition. Party leader Orpo calculates the best chances of replacing Marin and becoming Finland’s new prime minister.
But the search for a government-capable alliance will not be easy, because the coalition party needs at least two partners to gain a majority in the 200-seat parliament. The conservatives do not rule out cooperation with the right-wing populists – in contrast to the social democrats under Marin. And the merger with the Social Democrats themselves is likely to be difficult given the very different political attitudes, for example towards the EU or in migration policy.
Party leader Orpo emphasized in an interview with the radio station Yle on Tuesday that he wanted to keep all options open. His goal is to form a new government by midsummer – that is, by June 24. But it is even more important “to have a functioning government with a good program”. During the election campaign, the Conservatives had primarily advertised that they wanted to boost economic growth and significantly reduce government spending. Former Finance Minister Orpo named a sum of six billion euros that should be saved over the next four years.