On the heels of legislative elections described as difficult in Finland, polling stations opened their doors on Sunday morning in this northern European country with a population of 5.5 million. About forty of his constituents have already voted.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin ranks third in opinion polls, but slightly behind the leader of the National Coalition (center-right), Petteri Orbo, and the leader of the anti-immigrant, Eurosceptic Finns Party, Rika Bora..
Traditionally, the position of prime minister is occupied by the leader of the party that obtains the largest number of votes in the elections, a rule that has been tacitly agreed upon without exception since 1987, provided that he is able to collect a majority in parliament..
As for the current scenario, it remains very exciting, because the difference between the three parties is very small, while Finland is preparing to join in the coming days North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) In a historic step.
“Everyone has a chance to win and of course we want to win to continue our work for a more sustainable future,” Marin told reporters on Saturday, pledging to “take care of ordinary Finns.”“.
According to the latest opinion poll, the results of which were published on Thursday, the National Coalition will come in the forefront by obtaining 19.8 percent of the vote, ahead of the Finns Party (19.5 percent) and then the Social Democratic Party led by Marin (18.7 percent). These differences are considered slight and within the margin of error.
For his part, the right-wing rival of the prime minister said Saturday, on the eve of the elections, that he was “optimistic.” “We had a great campaign and we have the best candidates in all of Finland and we are first in the polls so I am optimistic,” the National Coalition party leader told AFP.“.
After the advance of nationalists in neighboring Sweden and the victory of the far right in Italy last year, will Finland become the last country to be swept away by the tide of populist nationalism in Europe?
The Finns’ Party, which has existed for more than twenty years in Finnish political life, has never occupied the vanguard in any elections. “I hope to be a good surprise,” Bora, 45, who has led the party for two years, said Saturday“.
“Fixit”
A split that occurred in 2017 led to a more hawkish line in the leadership of the party, which is officially considering what it calls “Fixit”, that is, a Finnish exit from the European Union, albeit just “tactical” propaganda, as confirmed by Juho Rakkonen, professor of political science at the “E2 Research” institute.“.
The analyst explained that the party was able to benefit more than other formations from the current wave of inflation and is at the forefront of youth voting intentions by distinguishing itself from the rest of the political class..
Räkkönen added that the driver of the good polls for what used to be called “real Finns” was “the rise in energy prices and the general decline in purchasing power”.“.
For her part, Sanna Marin, the youngest female head of government in the world when she came to power at the end of 2019, achieved great popularity for her good management of the Covid-19 epidemic and the issue of joining NATO, which was rejected by her party before the war in Ukraine..
“We went through difficult years, but we overcame difficulties together,” the leader reminded her supporters on Friday“.
However, the economy is the main argument of the opposition attack, which denounces a 10-point rise of GDP in public debt over four years, to 73 percent..
In this regard, Juho Rakkonen said, “Marin does not please everyone. Although it is exceptionally popular, it stirs up opposition and deepens the political divide.” “One politician alone is not enough,” he added“.
This, and its government coalition, also consisting of five parties, has been facing difficulties for months. Its centrist ally has announced that it will refuse to renew this alliance.
Voting starts from nine o’clock (06:00 GMT) until 20:00 (17:00 GMT), provided that the first partial results of the pre-vote will be published..
It is noteworthy that the competition takes place for two hundred seats in a country where it usually takes about six weeks to form a government. So Marin will have to remain at the helm of the acting government next week when Finland formally joins NATO, after getting the last necessary green light from Turkey last Thursday..
For the record, the outcome of the practical elections cannot be derailed because now all major parties are in favor of joining NATO.
France24/ ap