Prime Minister Sanna Marin is playing a difficult renewal this Sunday, April 2, in the legislative elections in Finland, where the 37-year-old leader could be dethroned by the right or even anti-immigration nationalists.
Polling stations opened this Sunday morning in the Nordic country of 5.5 million inhabitants, where 40% of voters have already voted in advance in a highly suspenseful ballot.
The sequel after the ad
Sanna Marin, the Finnish Prime Minister who “shakes up” the function
A tight three-way battle pits Social Democrat leader, centre-right National Coalition number one Petteri Orpo and far-right Finns party leader Riikka Purra, who is aiming for victory unprecedented and a record score for these legislative elections.
The party candidate who arrives first traditionally inherits the post of Prime Minister in Finland, provided that he can muster a majority in Parliament.
The trio given 1 point difference in the polls
The trio is in the pocket for its elections which coincide with the official entry of Finland into NATO, expected in the coming days.
“Everyone has a chance to win and of course we want to win to continue our work for a more sustainable future”Sanna Marin said on the sidelines of his last meeting on Saturday, promising to “taking care of ordinary Finns”.
The sequel after the ad
According to the latest poll on Thursday, the National Coalition has 19.8% of the voting intentions, ahead of the party of the Finns (19.5%) then the Social Democrats (18.7%).
“We had an excellent campaign (…) and we are first in the polls, so I am optimistic”estimated Saturday Petteri Orpo, 53, who campaigned on the economy and public finances.
The threat of the far right in power
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Established for more than 20 years in Finnish political life, the party of the Finns has never come out on top so far. “What seems clear is that we are going to achieve a very good result”Riikka Purra, its leader for two years, told AFP this Sunday, after putting her ballot in the ballot box and before going to the sauna, a Finnish institution.
The sequel after the ad
A split in 2017 had seen a harder line take over. The party is officially considering a “Fixed”a Finnish exit from the European Union, although this is more of a display “tactic”underlines Juho Rahkonen, political scientist at the E2 Research Institute.
According to the analyst, the party has been able to capitalize more than the others on the current inflationary wave, and also tops the voting intentions of young people by distinguishing itself from the rest of the political class, for example on social networks.
The economy, the main angle of attack against Marin
Sanna Marin, the youngest head of government in the world when she came to power at the end of 2019, was hailed for her good management of the Covid-19 pandemic, the process of joining NATO, and her positions against neighboring Russia, which made her a figure abroad.
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“But not everyone is happy with Marin. Although exceptionally popular, it also arouses opposition and the political divide has deepened”, notes Juho Rahkonen. The economy is the main angle of attack of the opposition, which denounces the increase of 10 points of GDP in the public debt in four years, to 73%.
The sequel after the ad
“I like Marin as a leader, but I don’t believe she and her government can implement her ideas on economic policy”told AFP Kasper Kylmälä, a 29-year-old voter, for whom a change of government “would be a good thing”.
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The Prime Minister’s five-party government coalition has been struggling for several months. His Center ally has already warned that he would refuse to renew this coalition.
The publication of the first partial results, based on the advance vote, is expected at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. in France) after the polls close.
The formation of a government traditionally takes several weeks or even months, Sanna Marin should therefore at least take over the interim next week when Finland will officially join NATO, after the last necessary green light from Turkey obtained on Thursday . All the major parties are now in favor of joining the Atlantic Alliance.
