Finnish Euro-Skeptics Set for Government in Election Upset
This article is for subscribers only.
Finland’s euro-skeptic bloc is poised to enter a government with the pro-Europe National Coalition led by Finance Minister Jyrki Katainen after voters used yesterday’s election to protest against funding bailouts.
The True Finns, whose leader Timo Soini says taxpayers shouldn’t have helped rescue Greece or Ireland, surged almost 15 points to 19 percent, the Justice Ministry said. Katainen’s group won 20.4 percent to become Finland’s biggest party for the first time. Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi’s Center Party got 15.8 percent and the Social Democrats, which also opposed bailouts for the two countries, won 19.1 percent. Kiviniemi will lead her party in opposition after its “huge defeat,” she told broadcaster YLE.