Finland: True Finns up, Greens down

The Finnish Greens lost 5 of their 15 seats in Parliament in yesterday’s elections that showed a dramatic breakthrough for the nationalist True Finns. Apart from charismatic Timo Soini’s party that went from 5 to 39 seats, all others lost: prime minister Mari Kirinieemi’s conservative National Coalition went from 50 to 44, the Centre Party even from 50 to 35.

The result won’t only put Finland’s immigration policy under pressure, but also its support to the European Union. The True Finns will try to block the EU’s Portuguese rescue package – to which the Social Democrats have objected as well. In Finland, the national parliament can vote on the issue.

Anti-nuclear demonstration at Helsinki Railway Station square in Finland, March 4, 2011. Photo: Satu Pitkänen (Flickr)

What the results mean for the country’s nuclear programme is not yet clear. Finland has 4 nuclear plants, a fifth is under construction. Last year the government decided to build two other plants, which made Vihreä Liito, the Green League, step out of the coalition.