HELSINKI. Just two weeks ago, Finland was named the happiest country in the world for the sixth time. But after rock star Prime Minister Sanna Marin was fired this weekend, there are signs of trouble in the Scandinavian country.
Simmering discontent resulted in the far right receiving the second largest share of the vote, one of the highest turnouts Finland has seen in more than a generation.
Ms Marin’s forward-looking policies in government, including updating abortion laws and extending paternity leave for young fathers, failed to win over voters, who instead backed the centre-right National Coalition party.
The far right has traditionally won seats in the center, gaining votes from both the cities and the countryside.
Finnish party leader Riikka Purra won over young voters with her skillful use of social media, apolitical Instagram posts and witty TikTok videos that helped the former fringe party to normalize as it seeks to curb immigration and leave the EU.
At a critical moment in its history, as Finland enters an era of heightened national security, a new unknown has emerged.
Unlike Ms Marin, National Coalition Party leader Petteri Orpo remains a relatively unknown figure and is open to coalition talks with the far right, a position that could raise alarm across Europe.
The turn to the right suggests that the much-discussed issue of Finland’s mounting public debt and worries about Ms Marin’s alleged cost overruns have finally won over the wary Finns.
Ms Marin succeeded in wooing voters away from the Greens and Liberal allies by encouraging many to vote tactically to avoid a Nationalist government.
Many of their natural allies called the move “selfish”, making the center a good choice not only for the centre-right moderate party, but also for Finland’s more right-wing party.
This could turn out to be a mistake and cause concern among European leaders who have supported Ms Marin’s cause over the past few years.
The 37-year-old ex-prime minister received a large share of the personal vote, and her Social Democratic Party won more votes than in previous elections.
As part of the coalition, it will still be able to steer politics in a progressive direction, albeit out of the spotlight, and more importantly, only if it is accepted by the centre-right National Coalition Party.
Bringing Finland into NATO, defeat, however, will be a bitter pill.
The ruling party is likely to find some sort of agreement with the SDP, especially regarding support for the EU and NATO.
“Democracy has spoken, the Finnish people have voted, and the triumph of democracy is always beautiful,” Ms Marin told reporters during her concession speech. “We have good reason to be happy with this result.”
However, the results show that being a rock star does not guarantee success. Ms Marin’s star probably shone overseas, not where it mattered most.
Undoubtedly, she still plays a role in keeping Finland from going to extremes.
Source: I News
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.