HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finns cast their ballots on Sunday in a hotly contested parliamentary election that could cost left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin power, amid voters’ concerns about the future of generous public services at a time of economic slowdown.
No party is seen as leading decisively and the election is likely to be followed by drawn-out coalition talks, although the party that wins on Sunday will be the first to try to form a government.
Fans around the world view Marin, 37, as a millennial role model for new progressive leaders, and she remains popular with many Finns, especially young moderates. But it has antagonized some Conservatives with spending on pensions and education that they see as irresponsible.
Voting began at 9 am (0600 GMT) and will end at 8 pm (1700 GMT). Partial results from early voting will be published shortly thereafter.
Polls show Marin’s Social Democrats, the largest party in the outgoing coalition government, are in close heat with the right-wing National Coalition Party and the nationalist Finns’ Party, with the three seen winning around 18.7-19.8% of the vote and drawing on smaller others. parties to form a government.
“If you want an open, pluralistic, fair Finland, investing in education and taking care of people’s daily services, vote for the Social Democratic Party,” Marin pleaded with voters in a video she posted on Twitter on Sunday.
The National Coalition has led opinion polls for nearly two years but its lead has faded in recent months. She promised to reduce spending and stem the rise in public debt, which has reached just over 70% of gross domestic product since Marin took office in 2019.
The group accuses Marin of undermining Finland’s economic resilience at a time when Europe’s energy crisis, prompted by Russia’s war in Ukraine, has hit hardest, and the cost of living has soared.
The Finnish party also advocates austerity, but its main goal is to curb what its leader Rikka Pura calls “harmful” immigration from developing countries outside the European Union.
“I hope the prime minister will change,” communications expert Susanna Isuhani said during the vote at the Helsinki Museum of Art. “But the current government has handled certain things just fine. For example, the corona situation. I would give it commendable, like seven and a half out of ten.”
NATO membership
The next government will see the first days of Finland’s NATO membership. One of Marín’s most notable foreign policy actions since taking office in 2019 has been her push, along with President Süley Niinisto, for the country to make a radical policy shift by seeking membership in the Western Defense Alliance in the wake of security concerns yet. Russian invasion of Ukraine.
This process is now almost complete, and Helsinki is expected to join within days.
Justice Department data showed that about 1.7 million people, or 40.5% of eligible voters, actually cast ballots during the week-long early voting period that ended on Tuesday.
Marin’s Social Democrats believe that economic growth will help rein in rising public debt and that if the coffers need balancing, they’d rather consider tax increases than spending cuts.
However, the economic growth her party hopes for is not forthcoming. The economy in Finland, a country of 5.5 million people, weathered the pandemic better than in most European countries, but growth slowed to 1.9% last year and the country is expected to descend into a mild recession this year, while inflation peaked at 9.1. %. in December.
“She was like a rock star, but she was very nervous (during the debates),” retired engineer Matti Valonen said of Marin while casting his vote in DC.
Additional reporting by Anne Koranen, Essy Leto and Attila Sezer in Helsinki Editing by Justina Paflak, Frances Kerry and Philippa Fletcher
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