01:29

Sanna Marin says 'democracy has spoken' as she concedes defeat in Finland election – video

Finland
Sanna Marin suffers defeat in Finland election as SDP beaten
into third place
Marin says ‘democracy is always a wonderful thing’ as her Social
Democrats come third behind rightwing NCP and nationalist Finns
parties

Jon Henley Europe correspondent

@jonhenley
Mon 3 Apr 2023 01.09 BST

Finland’s prime minister, Sanna Marin, has lost her battle to stay in power after her centre-left
Social Democratic party (SDP) was narrowly beaten into third place in a cliffhanger election by
its conservative and far-right rivals.

With all of the votes counted on Sunday, the right-wing National Coalition party (NCP) won
20.8% of the vote, with the populist, nation-first Finns party scoring 20.1%. Marin’s SDP took
19.9% of the vote. Voter turnout was 71.9%.

Marin congratulated the election winners during her concession speech, but hailed an
improvement in both her party’s vote share and its projected number of MPs. “It’s a really good
achievement, even though I didn’t finish first today,” she told supporters in Helsinki.
“Democracy has spoken, the Finnish people have cast their vote, and the celebration of
democracy is always a wonderful thing,” she added. “We have good reason to be happy about
this result.”

The NCP’s leader, Petteri Orpo, told the public broadcaster, Yle, that the result was a “big victory
… a strong mandate for our policies”, adding that his party would be leading the coalition talks.
Finns leader Riikka Purra called it an “an excellent result”.

Orpo, a 53-year-old former finance minister, said the Nordic country’s

solidarity with Kyiv would remain strong during his tenure.

“First to Ukraine: we stand by you, with you,” Orpo told the Associated Press at NCP’s victory
event. “We cannot accept this terrible war. And we will do all that is needed to help Ukraine,
Ukrainian people because they fight for us. This is clear.”

Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, cleared the last hurdles of becoming a Nato
member earlier in the week as alliance members Turkey and Hungary signed off the country’s
membership bid.

Marin, 37, became the world’s youngest prime minister when she assumed the leadership of the
SDP – and the Finnish premiership – in 2019 and has successfully led the country through the
Covid pandemic and to the brink of Nato membership.

Marin’s determination to enjoy a social life also made headlines, with fans hailing her as a rising
star of the centre-left and model for a new generation of young female leaders. Critics say her
behaviour has at times been inappropriate for her office.

She was forced to apologise and took a drug test last year, but also defended her right to party,
after photos and video emerged of her drinking and dancing with friends.

Her personal popularity remained high, but with a recession forecast and inflation surging, the
opposition leaders’ accusations of excessive government borrowing and inflated public
spending – along with their pledges to impose tough cuts, particularly on welfare budgets – hit
home.

In Finland, the largest party traditionally gets the first shot at forming a coalition to obtain a
majority, meaning Marin’s four-year term as prime minister has come to a close – even if the SDP
could yet form part of the new coalition.

The NCP won 48 seats in the Nordic country’s 200-seat parliament, 10 more than in the outgoing
assembly, while the Finns took 46 – an increase of seven MPs – and the SDP 43, an improvement
of three.

Sign up to This is Europe

Free weekly newsletter
 The most pivotal stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to
economics to the environment
Enter your email address
Sign up

Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see
our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Orpo has promised to slash spending on unemployment and housing benefits, while Purra –
whose Finns party was part of a coalition government from 2015 to 2017 – said its priority was to
cut non-EU immigration, promising also to focus on climate, crime and energy policies if it is
part of the new coalition.

“I trust the Finnish tradition of negotiating with all parties, and trying to find the best possible
majority government for Finland,” Orpo told the AP.

“And you know what is important for us? It’s that we are an active member of the European
Union. We build up Nato-Finland, and we fix our economy. We boost our economic growth and
create new jobs. These are the crucial, main, important issues we have to write into the
government program.”

The NCP leader, who has said the party did not rule out working with anyone, is now expected
to start sounding out other leaders to begin trying to form a new coalition government from
Monday, a process likely to take several weeks.

He could try to assemble a right-leaning “blue-black” coalition with the Finns and one or more
smaller parties, but may also decide to pursue a cross-spectrum “blue-red” alliance with the
SDP and its allies, an outcome analysts see as perhaps most likely, despite significant policy
differences.

His task is complicated by the fact that the SDP and two of its current five-party coalition, the
Greens and the Left Alliance, have already ruled out any alliance with the Finns, which Marin
called “openly racist” during the campaign.

Of the two others, the Swedish People’s party – a moderate party representing Swedish-speaking
Finns, unrelated to the Swedish far-right party of the same name – has also said it is “very
unlikely” to partner with the far-right party.

Article count on

You've read 21 articles in the last year

… as 2023 gathers pace, and you’re joining us from Canada, we have a small favour to ask. A
new year means new opportunities, and we're hoping this year gives rise to some much-
needed stability and progress. Whatever happens, the Guardian will be there, providing clarity
and fearless, independent reporting from around the world, 24/7. 
Times are tough, and we know not everyone is in a position to pay for news. But as we’re
reader-funded, we rely on the ongoing generosity of those who can afford it. This vital
support means millions can continue to read reliable reporting on the events shaping our
world. Will you invest in the Guardian this year?
Unlike many others, we have no billionaire owner, meaning we can fearlessly chase the truth
and report it with integrity. 2023 will be no different; we will work with trademark
determination and passion to bring you journalism that’s always free from commercial or
political interference. No one edits our editor or diverts our attention from what’s most
important. 
With your support, we’ll continue to keep Guardian journalism open and free for everyone to
read. When access to information is made equal, greater numbers of people can understand
global events and their impact on people and communities. Together, we can demand better
from the powerful and fight for democracy.
Whether you give a little or a lot, your funding is vital in powering our reporting for years to
come. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis. It takes less than a minute to set up,
and you can rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of
open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Single Monthly Annual

CA$3 per month CA$7 per month Other

Continue Remind me in May

Most viewed