Finland’s Marin defeated by pro-business party in tight election

Finland’s left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin conceded defeat in the Nordic country’s parliamentary election on Sunday, as the opposition right-wing National Coalition Party (NCP) claimed victory in the hard-fought contest.

The pro-business NCP is expected to win 48 of the 200 seats in parliament, narrowly ahead of the nationalist Finns Party with 46 seats and the Marin Social Democrats in 43 seats, the Justice Ministry’s Election data shows with all ballots counted.

“We got the biggest mandate,” NCP leader Petteri Orpo said in a speech to followers, vowing to “fix Finland” and the economy.

He will get his first chance to form a coalition to gain a majority in parliament as Marin’s tenure as prime minister is expected to come to an end.

“We have gained support, we have gained more seats (in parliament). That is a great achievement, even if we did not finish first today,” said the prime minister in a speech to party members.

Criticized for the dance video

Marin, 37, the world’s youngest prime minister when he takes office in 2019, is seen by fans around the world as a millennial role model for a progressive new leader, but at home he has faced criticism for his partying and government spending spree.

While he remains very popular among many Finns, especially young moderates, he has antagonized some conservatives with spending on pensions and education that they consider insufficiently frugal.

The NCP has been leading the polls for almost two years although its lead has been eroded in recent months. It has promised to curb spending and stop the rise in public debt, which has reached more than 70 percent of GDP since Marin took office in 2019.

Orpo accused Marin of undermining 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 is rising.

Orpo said he would negotiate with all groups to get a majority in parliament, while Marin said the Social Democrats could govern with the NCP but would not form a government with the Finns Party.

Pushed for NATO membership

Marin called the Finland Party “racist” during a debate in January – a charge the nationalist group denied.

The main goal of the Finnish Party is to reduce what its leader Riikka Purra calls “dangerous” immigration from developing countries outside the European Union. It also calls for austerity policies to curb deficit spending, a stance it shares with the NCP.

The most important of Marin’s foreign policy actions is that he, together with President Sauli Niinisto, made the country make a policy U-turn by seeking NATO membership after the Russian 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.