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Finland’s leftist Prime Minister Sanna Marin conceded defeat in the Nordic country’s parliamentary election on Sunday, while the opposition right-wing National Coalition Party (NCP) claimed victory in a closely contested race.
Justice Ministry election data with all ballots counted showed that the pro-business NCP was expected to win 48 of the 200 seats in parliament, slightly ahead of the nationalist Finns Party with 46 seats and Marin’s Social Democrats with 43 seats.
“We have got the biggest mandate ever,” NCP leader Petteri Orpo said in a speech to followers, vowing to “fix Finland and its economy.”
He would get the first chance to form a coalition to gain a majority in parliament as Marin’s era as prime minister was expected to end.
“We have received support, we have gained more seats (in parliament). This is an outstanding achievement, even though we did not finish first today,” the prime minister said in a speech to party members.
Marin, 37, the world’s youngest prime minister since taking office in 2019, is hailed by fans around the world as a millennial role model for progressive new leaders, but at home she has faced criticism for her party and her government’s public spending.
While he is very popular among many Finns, especially young moderates, he has angered some conservatives by spending heavily on pensions and education, which they consider not frugal enough.
The NCP has been leading in the polls for almost two years, although its lead has eroded in recent months. It has promised to curb spending and stem the growth of public debt, which has reached more than 70% of GDP since Marin took office in 2019.
Orpo accused Marin of destroying Finland’s economic resilience at a time when Europe’s energy crisis, fueled by Russia’s war in Ukraine, has hit the country hard and the cost of living has soared.
Orpo has said he will negotiate with all groups to win a majority in parliament, while Marin has said his Social Democrats can govern with the NCP but will not go into government with the Finns Party.
Marin called the Finns Party “openly racist” during a debate in January – a charge the nationalist group rejected.
The main goal of the Finns Party is to reduce immigration from developing countries outside the EU, which leader Riikka Purra has called “harmful”. It also calls for austerity policies to curb deficit spending, a stance it shares with the NCP.
Among Marin’s most notable foreign policy actions has been his pressure on President Sauli Niinistö to make a watershed policy U-turn for the country by seeking NATO membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The process is now almost complete, with Helsinki expected to join within days after all 30 members of the Western defense alliance approve the accession.
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