{"id":624248,"date":"2023-04-01T01:52:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-01T06:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/01\/finland-having-cleared-last-nato-hurdle-heads-to-elections\/"},"modified":"2023-04-01T01:52:00","modified_gmt":"2023-04-01T06:52:00","slug":"finland-having-cleared-last-nato-hurdle-heads-to-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/01\/finland-having-cleared-last-nato-hurdle-heads-to-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"Finland, having cleared last NATO hurdle, heads to elections"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, heads to the polls on Sunday to elect a new government as it prepares to join NATO.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, Turkey <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2023\/3\/30\/turkish-parliament-ratifies-finlands-nato-membership\">ratified<\/a> the Nordic nation\u2019s membership \u2013 the last of the alliance\u2019s 30 members to do so.<\/p>\n<p>Will Prime Minister Sanna Marin\u2019s Social Democratic Party, which started the membership process last year, take the country of 5.5 million people into the world\u2019s largest military alliance?<\/p>\n<p>And is Marin still as popular as she was in 2019 when she became the world\u2019s youngest leader at 34?<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what you should know:<\/p>\n<h2>How is the government formed?<\/h2>\n<p>Thousands of candidates from 22 political parties are vying for 200 seats in Finland\u2019s one-chamber parliament, the Eduskunta.<\/p>\n<p>Four groups tend to dominate elections: the Social Democrats, Centre Party, National Coalition Party and Finns Party.<\/p>\n<p>Here is where eight parties lie on the political spectrum:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP) \u2013 Marin\u2019s centre-left party, now the largest in parliament.<\/li>\n<li>Centre Party (KESK) <em>\u2013 <\/em>Finland\u2019s fourth-largest party with centrist policies.<\/li>\n<li>National Coalition Party (KOK) \u2013 The main opposition group centre-right party, also described as conservative-liberal.<\/li>\n<li>Finns Party (PS) <em>\u2013 <\/em>Right-wing populists seeking cuts to immigration.<\/li>\n<li>Left Alliance (VAS) \u2013 Left-wing party that has faced divisions over Finland\u2019s NATO membership.<\/li>\n<li>Green League (VIHR)<em> \u2013 <\/em>Environmentalists that prioritise welfare and equality.<\/li>\n<li>Swedish People\u2019s Party of Finland (RKP)<em> \u2013 <\/em>Party representing the minority of Swedish speakers in Finland.<\/li>\n<li>Christian Democrats (KD) <em>\u2013 <\/em>Party supporting \u201cChristian values\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The latest opinion poll published by the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat showed the three biggest parties \u2013 the National Coalition, Social Democrats and Finns Party \u2013 neck and neck.<\/p>\n<p>The party that wins the most seats may form the next government.<\/p>\n<p>To do so, it needs to form a coalition with other parties and secure at least 101 seats. The leader of the winning party becomes prime minister.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2145079\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2145079\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2023-03-30T060232Z_785791831_RC2VYZ9TKJA6_RTRMADP_3_FINLAND-ELECTION.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513\" alt=\"Petteri Orpo, Leader of the National Coalition Party of Finland that leads in polls ahead of the upcoming general elections on April 2\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2145079\">Petteri Orpo, leader of the National Coalition Party at a campaign rally in Helsinki [File: Essi Lehto\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Is Marin still popular?<\/h2>\n<p>Marin\u2019s government is a coalition made up of her Social Democrats, the Centre Party, Green League, Left Alliance and Swedish People\u2019s Party.<\/p>\n<p>She faces stiff competition, especially from Petteri Orpo from the National Coalition and the Finns Party\u2019s Riikka Purra.<\/p>\n<p>During Marin\u2019s tenure, she has become known for her straightforward politics, modern feminist ideals and cool persona. Last year, she was widely criticised by some members of the opposition after a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2022\/8\/18\/finnish-pm-facing-backlash-over-leaked-party-footage\">video of her partying<\/a> with her friends went viral on social media.<\/p>\n<p>But Helsinki voter Emma Holopainen told Al Jazeera that the scandal will not harm Marin\u2019s chances.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of the critiques towards her have been about her personal life and choices and not directly related to her leadership skills,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Marianna, a 27-year-old, shared a similar view.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the first time ever,\u201d she said, \u201cpeople are talking about \u2018voting tactically\u2019 for the Social Democrats as they want Sanna Marin to continue being prime minister although they would normally vote for a different party, such as the Greens.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe SDP is behind the KOK by a small margin in the polls and people would much rather see Marin continue as the prime minister.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On election day, Finns traditionally enjoy a coffee and sweet bun called \u201cpulla\u201d after they vote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn Instagram, there was also a post circulating, explaining how you can tell what party someone votes for by the pulla \u2013 cinnamon bun \u2013 they have after voting,\u201d Marianna said.<\/p>\n<h2>What do Finns think of NATO?<\/h2>\n<p>According to Theodora Helim\u00e4ki, a doctoral candidate studying voting behaviour at the University of Helsinki, joining NATO is something all parties agree on.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHistorically, joining NATO prior to Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine was a divisive topic for some people in the country,\u201d Holopainen said. \u201cNATO is quite popular now, and more people are in favour of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A poll by the broadcasting company YLE in May showed that 76 percent of Finns were in favour of joining NATO.<\/p>\n<p>The Left Party, once a staunch opponent of Finland\u2019s entry into NATO, now backs membership as a defensive move.<\/p>\n<p>According to local media, the war in Ukraine was one of the main reasons behind this sharp shift among leftists.<\/p>\n<p>Marianna told Al Jazeera that she supports joining NATO.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore February 24, 2022, if any left-wing young person was asked about Finland joining NATO, the response would have been negative,\u201d she said, referring to the date of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe wanted to remain unaligned. We didn\u2019t want to spend our money on defence or send our men to train with the alliance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut there\u2019s a lot of collective historical trauma with Russia, which we inherited from our grandparents\u2019 generation, and we have realised that there\u2019s only one option now, which is to join NATO.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>How does voting work?<\/h2>\n<p>Members of parliament are elected from 13 electoral districts. The number of representatives elected from each district is in proportion to the district\u2019s population.<\/p>\n<p>Voters choose candidates \u2013 who are ranked according to their popularity \u2013 from an open list and the ones with the most votes in each district win seats.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s like we have 13 mini-elections to decide the winners of the Parliament,\u201d Helim\u00e4ki said.<\/p>\n<p>Finns living abroad may vote in advance and send in absentee ballots by post.<\/p>\n<p>According to Helim\u00e4ki, pre-voting in Finland has become more popular this year. It can be done in libraries, universities and some grocery stores.<\/p>\n<h2>What do Finns care about?<\/h2>\n<p>The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing security concerns with Russia have been Marin\u2019s main challenges since she began her term.<\/p>\n<p>This year, voters are also more concerned about how the government plans to tackle inflation and address climate change, Helim\u00e4ki said.<\/p>\n<p>According to Statistics Finland, inflation rose to 8.8 percent in February, driven by higher mortgage interest rates and pricier heating bills.<\/p>\n<p>Like in the rest of Europe, the cost-of-living crisis is a worry.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, at the end of January, Finland\u2019s national debt stood at about 144bn euros ($157bn). Debt started rising during the pandemic and after Russia invaded Ukraine. It increased with the government borrowing more money to fortify its defence systems.<\/p>\n<p>Finance Minister Annika Saarikko has warned that the next government might have to borrow further.<\/p>\n<p>Opposition leader Orpo told the Reuters news agency that cutting unemployment, welfare benefits and business subsidies could rebalance the economy.<\/p>\n<p>But Marin\u2019s government has opposed spending cuts as a solution to the debt crisis and instead suggested raising taxes and encouraging economic growth.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2145077\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2145077\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2023-03-29T180719Z_1170720798_RC2T30AYOTQR_RTRMADP_3_FINLAND-ELECTION.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C537\" alt=\"Chairperson of the SDP and current Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Chairperson of the National Coalition Party Petteri Orpo attend the election debate, arranged by media company MTV, in Helsinki, Finland \" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2145077\">Marin and Orpo take part in an election debate in Helsinki [Lehtikuva\/Markku Ulander via Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As for climate change, Purra of the Finns Party said in a recent debate that Finland\u2019s 2035 carbon neutrality target \u2013 which was a goal set by Marin\u2019s government and which the KOK party also agrees with \u2013 should be delayed until 2050.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome Finns, especially from the forestry sector, aren\u2019t very pleased with this statement,\u201d Helim\u00e4ki said. \u201cSixty percent of the forests in Finland are under private ownership, so they are concerned that such messages from political parties could result in more deforestation and environmental degradation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Finns Party\u2019s campaign has also focussed on opposing immigration.<\/p>\n<p>Marin has referred to the Finns Party as \u201copenly racist\u201d and said she would not form a coalition with the populists.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s quite disappointing to see that immigration is still a topic of contention,\u201d said Holopainen, the voter from Helsinki.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2023\/4\/1\/finland-having-cleared-last-nato-hurdle-heads-to-elections\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Margarete Wrona<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, heads to the polls on Sunday to elect a new government as it prepares to join NATO. On Thursday, Turkey ratified the Nordic nation\u2019s membership \u2013 the last of the alliance\u2019s 30 members to do so. Will Prime Minister Sanna Marin\u2019s Social Democratic Party, which started the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":624249,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[534,36388,54],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-624248","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-financial","8":"category-finland","9":"category-having"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=624248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624248\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/624249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=624248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=624248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=624248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}