Less than two months after a multi-party coalition government took power in Helsinki between the centrist National Coalition Party and the populist Finns Party, there are signs that more junior elements in the government are attempting to force fresh elections on the back of a string of embarrassing revelations.
The Swedish People’s Party (RFK), which represents the interests of Finland’s Swedish-speaking population and is aligned with the federalist Renew movement in Brussels, won 9 out of 200 seats in April’s election and plays a kingmaker role in the four-party coalition that governs Finland led by the National Coalition Party.
In an interview with Finnish media earlier this week, Finns Party leader Riikka Purra, who serves as the nation’s finance minister, decried the efforts of the Swedish People’s Party, in particular, to destabilise the coalition government.
The Finns Party enjoyed their best-ever result in April, capturing 46 seats as they capitalised on public dissatisfaction against the ruling Social Democratic Party and then-incumbent PM Sanna Marin over inflation and migration. Despite coming a very close second, the party was still able to secure numerous cabinet positions in a coalition deal with the National Coalition Party in what liberal pundits had labelled Finland’s “most right-wing government.”
However, a string of accusations about previous racist comments by high-level Finns Party MPs has provoked second thoughts by the RFK, who are looking to trigger a vote of no confidence in Finns Party leader Purra in the autumn.
Downplayed as a media smear campaign against the populist outsiders, numerous Finns Party officials have been hit with scandals involving past online comments, including MP Vilhelm Junnila who was forced out of his job as economics minister after an off-colour joke about using abortions in Africa to combat climate change came to light and who had been previously criticised for past associations with neo-Nazis.
Purra herself made a public apology last month for online comments she made over a decade ago on an online chat forum saying that they had been taken out of context but which she disavowed as being “stupid.”
Regardless, pressure is mounting within the RFK to withdraw from the coalition agreement, with one of their most senior MPs Eva Biaudet leading the charge to cut ties. While left-wing parties had refused to enter a coalition with the Finns Party prior to the elections, the RFK kept a relatively open mind and was able to be convinced during weeks of post-election coalition talks that took place after the April vote.
Finns Party Minister of Enterprise Wille Rydman MP is just the latest party member to be struck with media accusations of racism, but Finnish PM Petteri Orpo has so far refused to call for his resignation.
A potential withdrawal of the RFK from the government would dramatically reduce the ability of the current coalition to govern in the Finnish Parliament which also includes the Christian Democrats and their five seats.
