2023 Finnish parliamentary election

2023 Finnish parliamentary election

←  2019 2 April 2023 2027  →
←  outgoing members elected members  →
All 200 seats in the Parliament of Finland 101 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	4,540,437
Turnout	72.6% ( 0.2 pp)
First party Second party Third party   Leader Petteri Orpo Riikka Purra Sanna Marin Party National Coalition Finns SDP Last election 38 seats, 17.0% 39 seats, 17.5% 40 seats, 17.7% Seats won 48 46 43 Seat change 10 7 3 Popular vote 644,555 620,981 617,552 Percentage 20.8% 20.1% 19.9% Swing 3.8pp 2.6pp 2.2pp   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Annika Saarikko Maria Ohisalo Li Andersson Party Centre VIHR Left Alliance Last election 31 seats, 13.8% 20 seats, 11.5% 16 seats, 8.2% Seats won 23 13 11 Seat change 8 7 5 Popular vote 349,640 217,795 218,430 Percentage 11.3% 7.0% 7.1% Swing 2.5pp 4.5pp 1.1pp   Seventh party Eighth party Ninth party   Leader Anna-Maja Henriksson Sari Essayah Harry Harkimo Party RKP KD Liik Last election 9 seats, 4.5% 5 seats, 3.9% 1 seat, 2.3% Seats won 9 5 1 Seat change 0 0 0 Popular vote 133,518 130,694 74,995 Percentage 4.3% 4.2% 2.4% Swing 0.2pp 0.3pp 0.1pp
Election result by constituencies Leading party by municipalities
Prime Minister before election Sanna Marin SDP Prime Minister after election Petteri Orpo National Coalition

Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 2 April 2023 to elect members of the Parliament of Finland.

Following the 2019 election, the Social Democratic Party formed a governing coalition with the Centre Party, Greens, Left Alliance, and the Swedish People's Party, with Antti Rinne serving as the prime minister of Finland. Later that year, Rinne was involved in a political scandal regarding the Finnish postal service, after which he resigned and was succeeded by Sanna Marin. Marin's government focused on issues regarding climate change, while her government also faced the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The invasion prompted her to announce that Finland would submit its candidacy to join NATO, which it did in May 2022.

Issues regarding the economy, the budget deficit, climate change, and education were discussed during the campaign period. The opposition parties NCP and Finns election programs called for budget cuts and austerity to balance the budget deficits, while the SDP's election program focused on economic growth through investments in employment and education to balance the budget. Marin stated her support for more education and public health spending, while the National Coalition called for balancing the economy, reducing spending on unemployment and housing benefits, and constructing more nuclear plants. The Finns campaigned on an anti-immigration and anti-European Union platform, while the Greens focused on issues regarding mental health and universal basic income. The Centre Party campaigned on regional politics.

The National Coalition Party won the election with 20.8% of the national popular vote and winning 48 seats in parliament, the third-highest result in the party's history. The party went on to form a coalition with the Finns, Swedish People's Party, and the Christian Democrats, with Petteri Orpo as prime minister. For the first time in Finland's history, the Centre Party did not win a plurality of votes in any regional voting districts. ^[1] Five government parties and four opposition parties finished with parliamentary seats split at 100–100. This was the first time since 1983 that the top-three finishing parties by results did not lose share of votes by percentage points.

Background

Antti Rinne resigned as prime minister following the postal service scandal in December 2019.

The previous parliamentary election, held in April 2019, saw the Social Democratic Party place first, winning 17.7% of the popular vote, followed by the Finns Party and the National Coalition Party, who won 17.5% and 17% of the popular vote, respectively. ^{[2] [3]} The Centre Party of the outgoing prime minister Juha Sipilä placed fourth, winning 13.8% of the popular vote, while the Green League and the Left Alliance received more votes than in the preceding election. ^[4] After several months of negotiations, the SDP led by Rinne formed a government in June 2019, bringing the Centre Party, Green League, Left Alliance, and the Swedish People's Party into the government. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

In late 2019, a political scandal regarding the Finnish postal service broke out. ^[8] Sirpa Paatero, the minister of local government and ownership steering, was accused of being aware of and hiding from members of the Parliament of Finland the postal service's project to change the status of a large number of its workers to a lower-paying contract. ^[9] Paatero resigned in November 2019, ^[10] after which Rinne was also accused of knowing the postal service plan. ^[9] The Centre Party then left the government, which led Rinne to announce his resignation as prime minister and leader of the SDP in December 2019. ^{[11] [12]} He was succeeded by Sanna Marin. ^{[13] [14]} Marin became the world's youngest serving prime minister after being sworn into office in December 2019. ^[15]

The Marin Cabinet announced they would combat climate change, protect the environment, and reduce social and economic inequalities. ^[16] Her government also adopted a program that would aim to make Finland carbon-neutral by 2035 by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the production of renewable energy. ^[16] Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland, Marin's management of the pandemic benefited her party, causing her to rise in popularity in opinion polls, with her personal favourable opinion record rate reaching 85%. ^{[17] [18] [19]} The SDP was surpassed by the Finns Party in opinion polls after April 2021, with the National Coalition Party becoming the most popular by July 2021. ^{[lower-alpha 1] [25] [26]}

Following the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Marin took a firm line against Russia and Vladimir Putin, breaking Finland's historical military neutrality by announcing Finland's NATO candidacy. ^{[27] [28] [29]} Finland officially submitted its candidacy in May 2022. ^[30] Its path to join NATO was formalized in March 2023, when Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the president of Turkey, formally signed and approved the decision to ratify Finland's NATO membership. ^{[31] [32]} Turkey was the last NATO member to ratify the decision. ^[33]

Electoral system

See also: Politics of Finland

The 200 members of the Parliament of Finland (Eduskunta, Riksdagen) were elected using open list, proportional representation in 13 multi-member electoral districts, with seats allocated according to the D'Hondt method. ^[34] The number of elected representatives is proportional to the population in the district six months prior to the elections. Åland has a single-member electoral district and its own party system. ^{[34] [35]} Every citizen who is at least 18 years old has the right to vote. ^[36] Voters also had the option to vote during the advance voting period or on election day. ^[37] Advance voting took place from March 22 to 28 March 2023. ^{[38] [39]}

Seats by electoral district ^[40]

Electoral district	Seats
01 Helsinki	23
02 Uusimaa	37
03 Varsinais-Suomi	17
04 Satakunta	8
05 Åland	1
06 Häme	14
07 Pirkanmaa	20
08 Southeast Finland	15
09 Savo-Karelia	15
10 Vaasa	16
11 Central Finland	10
12 Oulu	18
13 Lapland	6

Pre-election composition

Government		Seats
	Social Democratic Party of Finland	40
	Centre Party	31
	Green League	20
	Left Alliance	16
	Swedish People's Party of Finland	10
Opposition		Seats
	Finns Party	39
	National Coalition Party	37
	Christian Democrats	5
	Movement Now	1
	Power Belongs to the People	1
Source: Parliament of Finland [41]

Contesting parties

See also: List of political parties in Finland

The table below lists parties and independent candidates that contested the 2023 Finnish parliamentary election. The Election Information and Results Service also announced that 2,424 candidates in total registered to take part in the election. ^[42]

Overview of contesting parties in the 2023 Finnish parliamentary election

Party		Ideology	Candidates by electoral district
			Helsinki	Uusimaa	Varsinais-Suomi	Satakunta	Åland	Häme	Pirkanmaa	South-East Finland	Savo-Karelia	Vaasa	Central Finland	Oulu	Lapland	Total
			293	485	214	124	15	144	239	158	156	161	146	177	112	2424
	Social Democratic Party	Social democracy	23	37	17	14	—	14	20	15	15	16	14	18	14	217
	Finns Party	Right-wing populism	23	37	17	14	—	14	20	15	15	16	14	18	14	217
	Green League	Green liberalism	23	37	17	14	—	14	20	15	15	16	14	18	14	217
	Left Alliance	Democratic socialism	23	37	17	14	—	14	20	15	15	16	14	18	14	217
	National Coalition	Liberal conservatism	23	37	17	14	—	14	19 [lower-alpha 2]	14 [lower-alpha 2]	15	16	14	18	11 [lower-alpha 3]	212
	Centre Party	Agrarianism	11 [lower-alpha 4]	37	17	14	—	14	20	15	15	16	14	18	14	205
	Christian Democrats	Christian democracy	8 [lower-alpha 4]	37	17	14	—	14	20	15	15	16	14	15 [lower-alpha 5]	3 [lower-alpha 3]	188
	Movement Now	Economic liberalism	23	37	17	10	—	14	20	15	13	10	5	11	2	177
	Freedom Alliance	National conservatism	16 [lower-alpha 6]	32 [lower-alpha 6]	15 [lower-alpha 6]	9 [lower-alpha 6]	—	7 [lower-alpha 6]	11 [lower-alpha 6]	10 [lower-alpha 6]	10 [lower-alpha 6]	10 [lower-alpha 6]	8 [lower-alpha 6]	11 [lower-alpha 6]	4	143
	Swedish People's Party of Finland	Swedish minority interests liberalism	23	37	17	3	—	5	1 [lower-alpha 2]	1 [lower-alpha 2]	2	16	1	4	1	111
	Power Belongs to the People	Russophilia	10	25	11	2	—	7	4	9	8	5	14	8	4	107
	Liberal Party – Freedom to Choose	Classical liberalism	23	21	11	—	—	5	12	4	5	4	—	6	2	93
	Blue-and-Black Movement	Neo-fascism	—	37	17	—	—	—	20	—	—	—	14	—	—	88
	Communist Party of Finland	Communism	14	13	2	—	—	1	9	6	5	1	4	4	6	65
	Pirate Party	Pirate politics	20	5	—	1	—	1	5	—	4	—	1	—	—	37
	Crystal Party	Vaccine hesitancy	5 [lower-alpha 6]	3 [lower-alpha 6]	1 [lower-alpha 6]	—	—	2 [lower-alpha 6]	3 [lower-alpha 6]	4 [lower-alpha 6]	2 [lower-alpha 6]	2 [lower-alpha 6]	1 [lower-alpha 6]	5 [lower-alpha 6]	—	28
	Animal Justice Party of Finland	Animal rights	4 [lower-alpha 7]	4 [lower-alpha 7]	3	—	—	1	7 [lower-alpha 7]	—	1	—	—	—	—	20
	Finnish Reform Movement	National conservatism	4 [lower-alpha 4]	4	—	—	—	—	—	5	—	—	—	3 [lower-alpha 5]	—	16
	Feminist Party	Feminism	6 [lower-alpha 7]	4 [lower-alpha 7]	—	—	—	—	3 [lower-alpha 7]	—	—	—	—	—	—	13
	Finnish People First	Finnish nationalism	2 [lower-alpha 6]	1 [lower-alpha 6]	—	1 [lower-alpha 6]	—	3 [lower-alpha 6]	1 [lower-alpha 6]	—	—	—	—	2 [lower-alpha 6]	—	10
	The Open Party	E-democracy	8	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	9
	Lapland's Non-Aligned Joint List	Regionalism	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	8	8
	Non-aligned Coalition	Conservatism	—	—	—	—	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	4
	Welfare and Equality	Social democracy	—	—	—	—	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	4
	Sustainable Initiative	Green politics	—	—	—	—	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	4
	Citizens' Union	Euroscepticism	—	1	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	—	3
	For Åland	Regionalism	—	—	—	—	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	3
	Independent candidates	–	1	2	1	—	—	—	3	—	1	—	—	—	—	8

Campaign

Issues

Campaign posters in Helsinki in March 2023

Yle cited government borrowing, sustainability of public finances, climate change, and educational decline as main issues during the electoral campaign. ^[43] Paul Kirby of BBC News noted that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has had "little campaign impact", and added that the campaign period was instead concentrated on issues regarding the economy. ^[44] Deutsche Welle cited a shortage of workers as a key issue during the campaign period, while the Associated Press mentioned that issues regarding the economy, climate change, education, and social benefits were discussed during the campaign. ^{[45] [46]} Markku Jokisipilä, an assistant professor at the University of Turku, said that in the debates, Marin has "stood out vigorously". He added that the Finns Party had the strongest social media presence. ^[47] Teivo Teivainen, a professor at the University of Helsinki, said that opponents of the SDP's main problem is public spending. ^[48] News agencies described the election as a close race between the SDP, National Coalition Party, and the Finns Party. ^{[44] [46] [49] [50]} Jenni Karimäki, a political historian who works at the University of Helsinki, said that "nobody can know what order the three leading parties will finish in on Sunday." ^[51]

The Finns Party, which campaigned on an anti-immigration and anti-European Union (EU) platform, ^[46] cited their priority to cut immigration from non-EU countries. Petteri Orpo, the leader of the National Coalition Party, campaigned on reducing spending on unemployment and housing benefits. ^[52] While campaigning, Orpo stated his support for economic growth, balancing the public economy, "building up NATO-Finland", and constructing more nuclear plants. ^{[46] [53]} Riikka Purra, the leader of the Finns Party, called for austerity, and said that "we also want to tighten up our attitude towards the European Union." ^[53] She added that the Finns Party would delay the carbon neutrality target that was introduced by Marin's government. ^{[48] [54]} The National Coalition Party agreed with Marin's position on carbon neutrality. ^[46] Marin remained critical of right-wing parties, saying that they offered "an alternative that makes life miserable for all of us, cuts services, cuts livelihoods for the poorest"; she had also stated her support for education and public health spending, saying that it would help Finland to avoid borrowing. ^{[51] [54]} The Green League's campaign was focused on mental health services and universal basic income. The Centre Party campaigned on regional politics. ^[50]

Slogans

Slogans of parliamentary parties during the campaign period

Party/coalition		Original slogan	English translation	Refs
	Centre Party	Eteenpäin! Vastuuta koko Suomesta	Forwards! Responsibility for the whole Finland	[55] [56]
	Christian Democrats	Järjen ääni Suomeen suunnanmuutos	The voice of reason Change of course for Finland	[56] [57]
	Finns Party	Pelasta Suomi!	Save Finland!	[56]
	Green League	Suojele elämää	Protect life	[56]
	Left Alliance	Reilumpi huominen kaikille, ei harvoille	A fairer tomorrow for everyone, not just for the few!	[56]
	Movement Now	Uskalla olla erilainen	Dare to be different	[56]
	National Coalition	Nyt on oikea aika	Now is the right time	[56]
	Power Belongs to the People	Täysivaltaista tasavaltaa jälleenrakentamassa	Rebuilding a sovereign republic	[56]
	Social Democratic Party	Rohkeutta olla sinun puolellasi	Courage to be on your side	[56]
	Swedish People's Party of Finland	Yhdessä eteenpäin (Swedish: Framåt tillsammans)	Moving forward together	[56]

Debates

Debates during the campaign period

2023 Finnish parliamentary election debates
Date	Organisers	P Present   N Non-invitee
		SDP	Finns	KOK	Centre	Green League	Vas	SFP/RKP	KD	Liik	Refs
30 March	Yle	P Sanna Marin	P Riikka Purra	P Petteri Orpo	P Annika Saarikko	P Maria Ohisalo	P Li Andersson	P Anna-Maja Henriksson	P Sari Essayah	P Hjallis Harkimo	[58]
27 March	Yle	P Sanna Marin	P Riikka Purra	P Petteri Orpo	P Annika Saarikko	P Maria Ohisalo	P Li Andersson	P Anna-Maja Henriksson	P Sari Essayah	P Hjallis Harkimo	[59]
23 March	Yle	N	N	N	P Annika Saarikko	P Maria Ohisalo	P Li Andersson	N	N	N	[60]
22 March	Yle	N	N	N	N	N	N	P Anna-Maja Henriksson	P Sari Essayah	P Hjallis Harkimo	[61]
21 March	Yle	P Sanna Marin	P Riikka Purra	P Petteri Orpo	N	N	N	N	N	N	[62]
20 March	Yle	P Sanna Marin	P Riikka Purra	P Petteri Orpo	P Annika Saarikko	P Maria Ohisalo	P Li Andersson	P Anna-Maja Henriksson	P Sari Essayah	P Hjallis Harkimo	[63]
8 March	Unifi	P Antti Lindtman	P Sakari Puisto	P Paula Risikko	P Petri Honkonen	P Maria Ohisalo	P Li Andersson	P Anders Adlercreutz	P Sari Essayah	N	[64]
6 March	YVV	P Anita Hellman	P Sakari Puisto	P Pihla Keto-Huovinen	P Päivi Mononen-Mikkilä	P Amanda Pasanen	P Veronika Honkasalo	P Eva Biaudet	N	P Karoliina Kähönen	[65]

Members of Parliament standing down

Centre Party

• Hannakaisa Heikkinen ^[66]
• Esko Kiviranta ^[67]
• Jari Leppä ^[68]
• Juha Pylväs ^[69]
• Juha Sipilä ^[70]
• Matti Vanhanen ^[70]
• Anu Vehviläinen ^[66]
• Hannakaisa Heikkinen ^[66]

Christian Democrats

• Antero Laukkanen ^[71]

Finns Party

• Teuvo Hakkarainen ^[72]
• Toimi Kankaanniemi ^[73]
• Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo ^[74]
• Veikko Vallin ^[75]

Green League

• Outi Alanko-Kahiluoto ^[76]
• Satu Hassi ^[76]
• Heli Järvinen ^[77]
• Emma Kari ^[78]
• Pirkka-Pekka Petelius ^[79]

Left Alliance

• Juho Kautto ^[80]
• Markus Mustajärvi ^[76]
• Jari Myllykoski ^[81]

National Coalition Party

• Kalle Jokinen ^[82]
• Jaana Pelkonen ^[83]
• Ruut Sjöblom ^[84]
• Kari Tolvanen ^[84]

Social Democratic Party

• Jukka Gustafsson ^[85]
• Anneli Kiljunen ^[86]
• Merja Mäkisalo-Ropponen ^[76]
• Raimo Piirainen ^[87]
• Kristiina Salonen ^[88]
• Katja Taimela ^[76]
• Erkki Tuomioja ^[89]

Swedish People's Party

• Veronica Rehn-Kivi ^[84]

Opinion polls

Main article: Opinion polling for the 2023 Finnish parliamentary election

Local regression chart of poll results from 14 April 2019 to 2 April 2023

Results

During the advance voting period, 40% of the registered voters cast their ballots, the highest since the introduction of advance voting. ^[39] Voting stations on April 2 were opened from 9:00 (UTC+03:00) a.m. to 8:00 pm. ^{[37] [90]} There were 4,277,487 citizens that had the right to vote in the election. ^[91]

Party		Votes	%	+/–	Seats	+/–
	National Coalition Party	644,555	20.82	+3.82	48	+10
	Finns Party	620,981	20.06	+2.58	46	+7
	Social Democratic Party	617,552	19.95	+2.22	43	+3
	Centre Party	349,640	11.29	–2.47	23	–8
	Left Alliance	218,430	7.06	–1.11	11	–5
	Green League	217,795	7.04	–4.45	13	–7
	Swedish People's Party	133,518	4.31	–0.22	9	0
	Christian Democrats	130,694	4.22	+0.32	5	0
	Movement Now	74,995	2.42	+0.17	1	0
	Freedom Alliance	27,558	0.89	New	0	New
	Liberal Party – Freedom to Choose	14,982	0.48	+0.32	0	0
	For Åland	11,452	0.37	–0.01	1	0
	Power Belongs to the People	8,469	0.27	New	0	New
	Crystal Party	4,894	0.16	New	0	New
	Animal Justice Party	3,107	0.10	–0.01	0	0
	Pirate Party	3,058	0.10	–0.52	0	0
	Communist Party	3,044	0.10	–0.04	0	0
	Blue-and-Black Movement	2,307	0.07	New	0	New
	Finnish Reform Movement	1,362	0.04	–0.93	0	0
	Finnish People First	1,225	0.04	–0.04	0	0
	Lapland's Non-Aligned Joint List	1,231	0.04	New	0	New
	Feminist Party	1,114	0.04	–0.18	0	0
	The Open Party	985	0.03	New	0	New
	Welfare and Equality	923	0.03	New	0	New
	Non-aligned Coalition	514	0.02	New	0	New
	Sustainable Initiative	494	0.02	New	0	New
	Citizens' Union	169	0.01	–0.07	0	0
	Independents	556	0.02	–0.19	0	0
Total		3,095,604	100.00	–	200	0
Valid votes		3,095,604	99.54
Invalid/blank votes		14,434	0.46
Total votes		3,110,038	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		4,277,487	72.71
Source: Election Information and Results Service

Distribution by electoral district

Parties' vote share in each constituency

Electoral district	KOK		PS		SDP		KESK		VIHR		VAS		SFP		KD		Liik		Å
	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S
Helsinki	26.5	7	11.3	3	20.8	5	1.6	−	15.3	4	11.8	3	5.1	1	1.9	−	2.3	−
Uusimaa	26.2	11	18.2	7	19.2	8	4.8	2	7.6	3	4.6	1	8.7	3	3.5	1	3.7	1
Varsinais-Suomi	23.0	5	20.0	4	18.1	3	8.4	1	7.0	1	11.6	2	5.0	1	2.8	–	2.4	–
Satakunta	17.0	2	26.6	3	24.6	2	13.9	1	2.7	−	8.3	−	0.3	−	3.2	−	1.7	−
Åland	−	−	−	−	−	−	−	−	−	−	−	−	−	−	−	−	−	−	85.6	1
Häme	21.5	3	24.4	4	23.7	4	8.6	1	4.7	−	5.9	1	0.3	−	5.5	1	3.1	−
Pirkanmaa	21.5	5	20.2	5	25.9	6	7.1	1	7.5	1	6.9	1	0.3	−	5.4	1	2.5	−
Southeast Finland	22.0	4	22.7	4	23.7	4	13.6	2	5.1	1	3.7	−	0.2	−	3.5	−	3.5	−
Savo-Karelia	16.3	3	20.0	3	19.1	3	19.7	3	5.7	1	5.5	1	0.1	−	9.8	1	2.1	−
Vaasa	14.2	2	21.3	4	11.7	2	17.9	3	2.7	−	2.4	−	19.3	4	6.9	1	1.5	−
Central Finland	16.3	2	20.5	2	22.8	3	17.7	2	7.6	1	6.5	−	0.1	−	5.3	−	1.3	−
Oulu	14.9	3	25.4	5	13.7	2	25.0	5	5.0	1	9.4	2	0.2	−	3.1	−	1.1	−
Lapland	12.2	1	26.8	2	18.1	1	24.8	2	3.5	−	9.9	−	0.3	−	1.1	−	0.7	−
Total	20.8	48	20.1	46	19.9	43	11.3	23	7.0	13	7.1	11	4.3	9	4.2	5	2.4	1	0.4	1
Source Election Information and Results Service

Aftermath

Government formation

Before the election, the Social Democratic Party, Green League, and the Left Alliance ruled out joining a coalition that involved the Finns Party. The Swedish People's Party similarly stated that they were unlikely to align with the Finns but did not rule the possibility out completely. According to Swedish People's Party leader Anna-Maja Henriksson, her party wants to see how government talks will go before making a final decision. ^[92] The Left Alliance also stated that they were not ready to enter a coalition that involved the National Coalition Party. ^[92] At the beginning of March 2023, Centre Party leader Annika Saarikko stated that even though she was not ruling out a coalition with any party, she was not willing to continue remaining in the incumbent coalition government due to policy disputes with other coalition parties, especially the Green League. ^{[92] [93]} National Coalition Party leader Petteri Orpo said he was keeping his options open. News agencies predicted that if his party was the largest, he would need to team up with the Finns Party or the Social Democratic Party, along with smaller parties, to get a majority. ^[93]

After the immediate results of the election, the incumbent coalition did not have an absolute majority in parliament. The results showed that Orpo had to face difficult options, as his party differed from the Finns on immigration, climate, and EU membership status. Additionally, forming a coalition with them was said to be difficult because some parties had already ruled out a coalition with the Finns. On the other hand, he vowed to replace the economic policy of the Social Democrats. At that point, it was widely anticipated that the Centre Party, Green League, and Left Alliance would prefer to go into opposition rather than join a new coalition. This left the Swedish People's Party and Christian Democrats, which held their ground, as likely coalition partners. ^{[94] [95] [96] [97]} The media reported that Orpo was leaning towards talks with the Finns Party first, but also that he was sending out a questionnaire to each of the other parties to assess their positions on various topics. ^{[98] [99] [95]}

On 4 April 2023, leader of the Social Democratic Party Sanna Marin announced that she resigned as chairwoman of her party, but remained a lawmaker in parliament. ^[100] Centre Party leader Annika Saarikko confirmed that the Centre Party's place was in the opposition following the party's election losses. Green League party leader Maria Ohisalo made similar statements, citing monetary cuts to education, insufficiently counters climate change and nature loss as major concerns. Swedish People's Party leader Anna-Maja Henriksson said she did not rule out joining a coalition with the Finns Party, but stated that she opposed the policies and values that the Finns pursue. Christian Democratic leader Sari Essayah said she was open to joining a coalition led by National Coalition if the coalition agreed to implement major structural reforms in the labour markets and social security system. ^[101] Based on the answers and initial talks with all parties, Orpo announced that he would negotiate forming a government with the Finns Party, Swedish People's Party, and the Christian Democrats. ^[102]

Petteri Orpo announced on 15 June that the four parties had agreed to establish a four-party coalition government, including the far-right Finns Party. ^[103] The government composition and its nineteen ministerial posts were announced on 17 June. The National Coalition received eight posts, the Finns Party seven, and the Swedish People's Party three, with the remaining one going to the Christian Democrats. ^[104]

See also

• 2024 Finnish presidential election
• 2023 Ålandic legislative election

Notes

1. Polls published between 1 January 2021 and 26 April 2021 (fieldwork in brackets):
   • Taloustutkimus (2 December 2020 – 5 January 2021) ^[20]
   • Kantar TNS (21 December 2020 – 15 January 2021) ^[21]
   • Kantar TNS (18 January 2021 – 12 February 2021) ^[22]
   • Kantar TNS (15 February 2021 – 12 March 2021) ^[23]
   • Kantar TNS (15 March 2021 – 9 April 2021) ^[24]
2. National Coalition Party–Swedish People's Party of Finland electoral alliance
3. National Coalition Party–Christian Democrats electoral alliance
4. Centre Party–Christian Democrats–Finnish Reform Movement electoral alliance
5. Christian Democrats–Finnish Reform Movement electoral alliance
6. Finnish People First–Freedom Alliance–Crystal Party electoral alliance
7. Feminist Party–Animal Justice Party of Finland electoral alliance

References

1. Lehtonen, Antti (2 April 2023). "Kaikkien vaalipiirien päivittyvät vaalitulokset". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
2. Siaw, Leona (15 April 2019). "Center-left party wins Finland parliamentary election". CNN. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
3. Kingsley, Sam (15 April 2019). "Finland's Social Democrats win slim victory as far-right surges". Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
4. "Finland election: Tough coalition talks after split poll". BBC News. 14 April 2019. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
5. "Näin syntyi hallitusohjelmasta neuvotteleva uusi punamulta – Yle seurasi politiikan superpäivää aamusta iltaan". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 8 May 2019. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
6. "Finland's center-left coalition concludes talks to form new government". Reuters. 2 June 2019. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
7. "Antti Rinne appointed Finland's new PM". Yle News. 6 June 2019. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
8. Gråsten, Hanna; Koskinen, Mika (2 December 2019). "Antti Rinne Posti-kohun keskiössä". Iltalehti (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
9. "Finnish PM Rinne resigns". Yle News. 3 December 2019. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
10. "Minister Paatero resigns over Posti outsourcing scandal". Yle News. 29 November 2019. Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
11. "Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne resigns". Deutsche Welle. 3 December 2019. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
12. "Finland's prime minister resigns over postal service dispute". Al Jazeera. 3 December 2019. Archived from the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
13. Tanner, Jari (20 April 2021). "Female minister, 34, tapped to become Finland's youngest PM". Associated Press. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
14. Henley, Jon (9 December 2019). "Finland anoints Sanna Marin, 34, as world's youngest serving prime minister". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
15. "Meet the world's youngest serving prime minister, backed by an all-female leadership team". ABC News. 9 December 2019. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
16. Teivainen, Aleksi (4 February 2020). "Finnish government outlines roadmap toward carbon-neutral Finland". Helsinki Times. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
17. "Finland announces March shutdown". Yle News. 25 February 2021. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
18. "HS-gallup: SDP:n kannatus nousi yli 22 prosentin". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 20 May 2020. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
19. Bui, Doan (7 January 2021). "La Finlande, ce pays qui mate le Covid-19". L'Obs (in French). Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
20. Toivonen, Terhi (8 January 2021). "Ylen mittaus: Perussuomalaisilla taas kannatushyppäys, eläkeputken poisto syö SDP:n, mutta ei vasemmistoliiton suosiota". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
21. Kervinen, Elina (20 January 2021). "Perussuomalaiset kipusi suosituimmaksi puolueeksi niukasti Sdp:n ohi, vihreiden kannatus palautui". Helsingin Sanomat. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
22. Liiten, Marjukka (19 February 2021). "Perussuomalaiset ja Sdp jatkavat kisaamista suosituimman puolueen paikasta, vihreiden kannatus laski alle 10 prosentin". Helsingin Sanomat. Archived from the original on 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
23. Nalbantoglu, Minna (18 March 2021). "Perussuomalaiset kasvatti kaulaa Sdp:hen: Puolueella on "historiansa paras lähtökohta kuntavaaleihin", sanoo tutkija". Helsingin Sanomat. Archived from the original on 18 March 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
24. Kervinen, Elina (16 April 2021). "Perussuomalaiset kasvatti kaulaansa Sdp:hen – pääministeripuolueen kannatus heikkeni alle 20 prosenttiin ensimmäisen kerran korona-aikana". Helsingin Sanomat. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
25. Teivainen, Aleksi (17 November 2022). "HS: Support for Centre falls to yet another record-low". Helsinki Times. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
26. Teivainen, Aleksi (9 December 2022). "YLE: Support for Centre slips below 10% for first time ever". Helsinki Times. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
27. "Vu de Russie. La Finlande brave l'"ultimatum" de Moscou et revendique son droit à intégrer l'Otan". Courrier international (in French). 3 January 2022. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
28. Petrongari, Christelle (11 March 2022). "La guerre en Ukraine pousse la Suède et la Finlande à renforcer leur défense". Euronews (in French). Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
29. "Finland Nato: Russia threatens to retaliate over membership move". BBC News. 12 May 2022. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
30. "It's official: Finland to apply for Nato membership". Yle News. 15 May 2022. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
31. Rauhala, Emily; Timsit, Annabelle; Fahim, Kareem (30 March 2023). "Turkey approves Finland's NATO bid, clearing path for it to join alliance". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
32. "Erdogan has signed ratification of Finland's Nato membership". Yle News. 1 April 2023. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
33. Shankar, Priyanka (1 April 2023). "Finland, having cleared last NATO hurdle, heads to elections". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
34. "Electoral system of Finland". Inter-Parliamentary Union Parline. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
35. "Electoral Districts". Vaalit. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
36. "On elections". Vaalit. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
37. "Voting and Polling stations". Vaalit. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
38. "Early voting gets off to lively start in Finland". Yle News. 22 March 2023. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
39. "Advance voting hits record levels in Finnish election". Yle News. 29 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
40. "Kansanedustajien paikkojen jako vaalipiirien kesken". Digi- ja väestötietovirasto (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
41. "Current Members of Parliament". Parliament of Finland. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
42. "Whole country, candidates". Ministry of Justice (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
43. "A really simple guide to Finland's 2023 parliamentary election". Yle News. 5 March 2023. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
44. Kirby, Paul (2 April 2023). "Finland election: Three-way race as Sanna Marin fights for survival". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
45. Musaddique, Shafi (1 April 2023). "Finland: Chronic labor shortage could decide election". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
46. "Finland's young leader is popular but faces tough reelection". NBC News. 2 April 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
47. ""The most important thing is to vote," says expert on final day of election campaign". Yle News. 1 April 2023. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
48. Tanno, Sophie (2 April 2023). "Popular abroad, at home Finnish PM Sanna Marin faces battle to keep her job". CNN. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
49. Rasmussen, Sune Engel (2 April 2023). "Sanna Marin Faces Tight Election as Finland Prepares to Join NATO". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
50. Dougall, David Mac (31 March 2023). "Finland election: The issues making headlines on the campaign trail". Euronews. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
51. Henley, Jon; correspondent (1 April 2023). "Finland election: tight race has Marin's SDP polling behind far right". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
52. Henley, Jon (2 April 2023). "Finland begins voting in knife-edge election". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
53. "Finland's young leader seeks re-election in tight race". Al Jazeera. 2 April 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
54. "Finland's Marin faces tough re-election bid in national election". CNBC. 2 April 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
55. "Mediatiedote: Keskusta julkaisi vaaliohjelmansa – Eteenpäin, vastuuta koko suomesta". ePressi (in Finnish). 27 January 2023. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
56. Koskinen, Atte; Nykänen, Paulina (27 March 2023). "Runoilija arvioi Ylioppilaslehdelle puolueiden vaalisloganit". Ylioppilaslehti (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
57. Rissanen, Samuli (1 April 2023). ""Järjen ääni resonoi ja suunnanmuutosta on ilmassa" – Pirkanmaalla ahkerasti kiertänyt Sari Tanus sai myös vaalilakanansa takaisin". KD-Lehti (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
58. "Suuri vaalikeskustelu". Yle (in Finnish). 30 March 2023. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
59. "Puoluejohtajien suuri kaksikielinen vaalikeskustelu". Yle (in Finnish). 27 March 2023. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
60. "Puheenjohtajatentti: Kesk., Vihr. ja Vas". Yle (in Finnish). 23 March 2023. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
61. "Puheenjohtajatentti: KD, RKP ja Liik". Yle (in Finnish). 22 March 2023. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
62. "Puheenjohtajatentti: SDP, PS ja Kok". Yle (in Finnish). 21 March 2023. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
63. "Suuri vaalikeskustelu". Yle (in Finnish). 20 March 2023. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
64. "Miljardikuopasta uuteen nousuun Yliopistojen suuri vaalikeskustelu 8.2.2023" (in Finnish). Unifi. 8 March 2023. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
65. "Yhdenvertaisuus-vaalikeskustelu Oodissa" (in Finnish). Kuurojen Liitto. 6 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
66. "Karjalainen: Anu Vehviläinen ei asetu enää ehdolle eduskuntavaaleissa". Karjalainen. 18 February 2022. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
67. "Keskustan Esko Kiviranta ei lähdekään ehdolle eduskuntaan: "Haluan tarjota nuoremmille mahdollisuuden"". Turun Sanomat (in Finnish). 31 January 2023. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
68. "Ministeri Jari Leppä luopuu poliittisesta urastaan – ei pidä kansanäänestystä Suomen Nato-jäsenyydestä tarpeellisena". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
69. Ristamäki, Juha; Nurmi, Lauri (10 May 2022). "Juha Pylväs luopuu kansanedustajan tehtävästä ensi vaaleissa - syynä lähipiirissä todettu vakava sairastuminen". Iltalehti (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
70. "Matti Vanhanenkin lopettaa". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 28 July 2020. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
71. "Antero Laukkanen avaa KD:n eduskuntavaaliasetelman Uudellamaalla - "En tavoittele kolmatta kautta"". KD-Lehti (in Finnish). 2 April 2022. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
72. Kullas, Joakim. "Tässä ovat vaaliasetelmat nyt – perussuomalaisissa yllätyskäänne viime metreillä". Uusi Suomi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
73. Ihanainen-Alanko, Sini (20 February 2023). "Yllättävä käänne: Toimi Kankaanniemi vetäytyykin ehdokkuudestaan eduskuntavaaleissa". Keskisuomalainen (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
74. "Lähes kaikki kansanedustajat kertoneet jatkoaikeistaan – eniten luopujia on tiedossa keskustalla". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 18 September 2022. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
75. Simola, Anita (1 April 2022). "Veikko Vallin jättää eduskunnan heti ensimmäisen kauden jälkeen: "En jaksa enää istua uskotellen, että voisin vaikuttaa johonkin" – Selvitimme kaikki Pirkanmaan luopujat ja jatkajat". Aamulehti (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
76. "Kourallinen kokeneita poliitikkoja jättää eduskunnan – katso Ylen kyselystä, ketkä lähtevät ehdolle ensi kevään vaaleihin". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
77. Hänninen, Jaana (14 September 2022). "Heli Järvinen ei lähde ehdokkaaksi eduskuntavaaleihin". Länsi-Savo (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
78. "Emma Kari jättää eduskunnan". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 25 January 2023. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
79. "Pirkka-Pekka Petelius jättää eduskunnan". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 21 February 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
80. "Vasemmistoliitolla jännä tilanne Keski-Suomessa kun ainoa kansanedustaja ei aio ehdolle:"Kansanedustajan työ on yhä enemmän itsensä ympärivuorokautista mainostamista"". KU (in Finnish). 30 June 2022. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
81. "Jari Myllykoski ei hae enää jatkokautta eduskunnassa – pitää vasemmistoliittoa liian vihreänä, on valmis harkitsemaan Natoa". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 8 March 2022. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
82. "Kokenut kokoomusedustaja jättää eduskunnan – "Tämän päätöksen tekeminen on ollut todella vaikeaa"". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). 7 July 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
83. "Kokoomuksen ääniharava Jaana Pelkonen jättää politiikan – ei asetu ehdolle vaaleissa". MTV Uutiset (in Finnish). 11 February 2020. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
84. "Jatkokautta eduskunnassa haetaan innokkaimmin 16 vuoteen: Arkadianmäen jättävät muun muassa Petelius, Sipilä ja Tuomioja – katso koko lista". MTV Uutiset (in Finnish). 21 February 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
85. "SDP:n pitkäaikainen kansanedustaja Jukka Gustafsson ei lähde ehdolle kevään eduskuntavaaleihin". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 1 September 2022. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
86. "SDP:n kansanedustaja Anneli Kiljunen ei asetu enää ehdolle eduskuntaan – keskittyy tehtäviinsä Etelä-Karjalan hyvinvointialueella". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
87. "Raimo Piirainen ei lähde ehdolle vaaleihin – Markku Oikarinen ensikertaa ehdolle". Kainuun Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
88. "SK: Raumalainen Kristiina Salonen Satakunnan maakuntajohtajaksi – kova isku Sdp:lle". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). 9 December 2022. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
89. "Erkki Tuomioja ei lähde enää ehdolle seuraavissa eduskuntavaaleissa". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 6 May 2022. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
90. "Finns head to the polls as three parties vie to lead next government". Yle News. 2 April 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
91. "Number of advance voters". Ministry of Justice. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
92. "Current ruling coalition can't continue after elections, states Saarikko". Helsinki Times. 10 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
93. "Finland's far right aims to oust popular PM Sanna Marin in legislative elections". France 24. 1 April 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
94. "Tulospalvelu | Eduskuntavaalit 2023 | yle.fi". vaalit.yle.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
95. "Finland shifts to the right but could face weeks of fraught coalition talks". The Guardian. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
96. "Finnish centre-right eyes coalition talks as defeated Marin considers future". Reuters. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
97. "Finnish election results predict two possible government coalitions". EURACTIV. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
98. Karkkola, Minna (2 April 2023). "Näin Petteri Orpo laittaa hallitusneuvottelut käyntiin – Lähteekö viestejä SDP:lle tai PS:lle?". Uusi Suomi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
99. "Nimittäminen ja järjestäytyminen". Valtioneuvosto (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
100. "Finland's Marin steps down as party leader". Reuters. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
101. "Centre and Greens set sights on opposition, adding difficulty to coalition talks". Helsinki Times. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
102. "Finnish far right in talks to join coalition government". Politico. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
103. "Finland's conservatives to form coalition with far-right – DW – 06/15/2023". dw.com. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
104. "Finland's conservative party picks ministers for right-wing coalition government – The Seattle Times". www.seattletimes.com. Retrieved 18 June 2023.