Changing of the Guard

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Finnish lawmakers approved National Coalition Party (NCP) leader Petteri Orpo as the country’s new prime minister on Tuesday, ushering in a right-wing government following elections that saw the ousting of Prime Minister Sanna Marin, Reuters reported.

Orpo’s approval came after the NCP and three other right-wing parties – including the nationalist and eurosceptic Finns Party – secured a majority of 108 out of 200 seats in parliament at the April elections.

The four parties were engaged in coalition negotiations for 11 weeks that were finalized late last week.

Marin’s Social Democratic Party won 43 seats, but was kept out of a possible coalition because it opposed calls for large cuts to public spending to reboot Finland’s stagnant economy, according to the Telegraph.

During his campaign, Orpo vowed to reduce the government’s budget deficit by cutting spending and reducing taxes, and promised to create new jobs in the private sector.

In their agreement, the coalition parties said they will oppose surrendering any more national powers to the European Union and will not increase Finland’s payment to the bloc’s budget.

Parties also plan to resist European-level bailouts or rescue funds, such as the nearly $820 billion coronavirus recovery fund, which pooled common debt among EU countries.

Meanwhile, the government will also impose stricter rules on immigration and asylum. Among the proposed changes, refugee status will be temporary and the coalition is considering prison sentences for people staying illegally in Finland.

Observers noted that the new coalition risks clashing with the EU, particularly on the issue of the bloc’s budget.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, has been calling for more contributions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Even so, the new Finnish government pledged to provide a warmer welcome to refugees from Ukraine and maintain the country’s firm support for Kyiv in the face of Russia’s invasion.