Finland’s prime minister concedes election as conservatives win narrow vote

The main conservative party in Finland has claimed victory in the parliamentary elections as Prime Minister Sanna Marin conceded defeat. The National Coalition Party won the race with 20.8% of the vote, followed closely by the right-wing populist party, The Finns, with 20.1%. The Social Democrats of Marin came third with 19.9%. None of the three parties can form a government independently because of the close result.

At 37, Marin has been a role model for liberal youth and a champion for women since her election as Prime Minister in 2019. However, she has been under scrutiny during her time leading the nation for partying and her handling of the country’s economy.

The election took place shortly after NATO accepted Finland’s membership, making it the thirty-first member. The move was seen as a significant rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Finland shares an 832-mile border with Russia, which now more than doubles the size of NATO’s border with the eastern power.

Petteri Orpo, leader of the National Coalition Party, has vowed to “fix Finland” and its economy. Orpo, a former finance minister of Finland, is likely to become the new Prime Minister. He has made it clear that the country will continue to stand with Kiev and support Ukraine.

Even though Finland has been accepted into NATO, a few more steps have to be taken before becoming an official member. These steps may be completed by the end of this week.