Finland is turning right as a new member of NATO

The moderate right Petteri Orpo, the leader of the National Alliance or Kokoomus, achieved a very fragile victory in the parliamentary elections in Finland, which has already become a virtual member of NATO. Social democracy from sanna marinthe country’s charismatic prime minister, remained in the fight for second place against the growing far-right True Finns from Riikka Purra.

With 75.7% of the votes counted, Orp’s moderate right received 20.9%, while the Social Democrats remained at 19.6%, half a point below the right-wing radicals.

“We have been advocating NATO membership for decades. Our goal is to achieve a strong coalitionthat’s all I can say for now,” Orpo said in a statement to foreign media, while those provisional percentages were still being considered and with such a small difference between first and second place. “It is too early for interpretations”summarized Purra, with a slightly disappointed face despite the progress, as his party claimed first place and taking the maximum role for the Nordic country and the new member of the Atlantic Alliance.

The first screenings immediately after closing the rooms, based on the so-called advanced voice and the one coming from l.Voters abroad showed a tie between Marin and Orp, while Purra reportedly fell to third place. The aforementioned progressive vote comes from 1.7 million voters who cast their ballots a week before election day and who on this occasion represented more than 40% of the total number of citizens with the right to vote. Marin admitted that first percentage with relief on his face and waited before starting his statements. Polls in the last part already indicated that it is the social democrats might be overwhelmed both from the moderate right and from the radicals.

A common feature of the Nordic countries

The progress of the far-right to levels hitherto considered typical of the major parties is a common feature across the Nordic European area. Neighboring Sweden has converted to right-wing radicalism represented by the so-called Swedish Democrats in the arbiters of the political agenda, rising to the category of external allies of the center-right coalition led by the moderate Ulf Kristersson since last year. This is the result of last year’s elections, in which the then Social Democratic Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson managed to defend the position of the first force for her party, but did not get a sufficient majority for her center-left bloc.

Finland’s election this Sunday comes at a crucial time for the Nordic country, which is just a few formalities short of completing its entry into NATO. after the objections that Türkiye raised for months were removed.

Sweden, on the other hand, is still awaiting approval from the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan before which there are elections in his own country, next May 14. The stakes are high in the political arena, as NATO strengthens its Nordic and Baltic wings and as Turkey makes its weight felt as a strategically valuable member of the Western powers of the Atlantic alliance. It is often a partner unpleasant, but at the same time essentialas demonstrated once again by the conflict in Ukraine and its mediating role – together with the UNO – in the agreement with Kiev and Moscow on the unblocking of Ukrainian grain exports.

Collapse between outgoing coalition partners

The two partners in Sanna Marin’s outgoing coalition each fell for themselves. The centrists fell to 12.3%, which could be interpreted as a penalty vote for the successive problems that gave the government an alliance. First, by hastening the resignation of Prime Minister and Marin’s predecessor, Antti Rinne, six months after taking office. Second, because of the exclusion of further support for the Social Democrats, if they continue to lead the government.

green, the party of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pekka Haavista, was beaten to 7.3%. A setback for the ecological formation, especially for dealing with a figure who, due to his position, had a notable visibility on Finland’s path towards NATO. The dominant party in the coalition, the Social Democrats, “ate” the remainder in extremely polarized elections, ecologists tried to justify themselves.