Orpo sets the deadline – with major contradictions

Finland’s election winner Petteri Orpo sets a time frame for the formation of his government. Before the end of the month, he wants to have selected which potential collaboration parties he will proceed with.

However, the two parties that appear to be the most likely colleagues have major differences of opinion.

The leader of the coalition party has been probing the possibilities for the formation of a government for almost a week now. Finland has a long tradition of broad government cooperation, and Orpo has sent a list of 24 questions to all parties in the Riksdag to find out which can become part of formal government negotiations.

– Almost all answers contain a lot to build on and make possible different coalitions, Orpo said at a press conference on Wednesday, according to EPN.

One of the big ones

In order for his government puzzle to come together, the Samlingspartiet must first get one of the country’s other two major parties on board: the True Finns (Sannf) or the Social Democrats (SDP). Then another slightly smaller batch. The Center, as the only party, chose not to even answer Orpo’s questions and already now put itself in opposition.

The Samlingspartiet’s great ambition to reduce the national debt by saving on various grants is at odds with the SDP’s view on the matter.

An alternative is to bring in the right-wing populist True Finns together with the smaller and more liberal Swedish People’s Party (SFP). However, Sannf leader Riikka Purra has said that the two parties are so far apart – especially on immigration – that it will be difficult to agree.

For its part, SFP has underlined to Orpo that Finland should stand by climate neutrality until 2035, the position of the Swedish language and that values ​​based on human rights should “also be seen in the government’s policy”, reports the newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet.

“Must adapt”

The group leader of the True Finns in the Riksdag, Lulu Ranne, calls SFP’s demands “extreme” and accuses the party of wanting to shut her party out.

SFP’s party leader Anna-Maja Henriksson tells HBL that she has been involved for a long time and knows that no party gets exactly what it wants.

– If you want to be part of the government, there are issues you have to adapt to, and that applies to everyone, including true Finns, she says.

The government prober himself received questions about these different demands during his press conference. Petteri Orpo said he does not want “Finland to change”, referring to an open society.

– Human value is a central issue in a Western democracy, as it is in Finland. We must stick to that, and I think every party that participates in government must stick to these values.

Facts

The Finnish election

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