2023 Finnish parliamentary election

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

2023 Finnish parliamentary election

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All 200 seats in the Parliament of Finland
101 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered4,540,437
Turnout72.6% (Decrease 0.2 pp)
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
LeaderPetteri OrpoRiikka PurraSanna Marin
PartyNational CoalitionFinnsSDP
Last election38 seats, 17.0%39 seats, 17.5%40 seats, 17.7%
Seats won484643
Seat changeIncrease 10Increase 7Increase 3
Popular vote644,555620,981617,552
Percentage20.8%20.1%19.9%
SwingIncrease 3.8ppIncrease 2.6ppIncrease 2.2pp

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
 
LeaderAnnika SaarikkoMaria OhisaloLi Andersson
PartyCentreGreenLeft Alliance
Last election31 seats, 13.8%20 seats, 11.5%16 seats, 8.2%
Seats won231311
Seat changeDecrease 8Decrease 7Decrease 5
Popular vote349,640217,795218,430
Percentage11.3%7.0%7.1%
SwingDecrease 2.5ppDecrease 4.5ppDecrease 1.1pp

 Seventh partyEighth partyNinth party
 
LeaderAnna-Maja HenrikssonSari EssayahHarry Harkimo
PartyRKPKDLiik
Last election9 seats, 4.5%5 seats, 3.9%1 seat, 2.3%
Seats won951
Seat changeSteady 0Steady 0Steady 0
Popular vote133,518130,69474,995
Percentage4.3%4.2%2.4%
SwingDecrease 0.2ppIncrease 0.3ppIncrease 0.1pp


Prime Minister before election

Sanna Marin
SDP

Prime Minister after election

Petteri Orpo
National Coalition

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 right-wing populist Finns Party came in a close second place with the ruling Social Democratic Party of Finland under Prime Minister Marin beaten into third place. The National Coalition 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.[a][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

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 districtSeats
01 Helsinki23
02 Uusimaa37
03 Varsinais-Suomi17
04 Satakunta8
05 Åland1
06 Häme14
07 Pirkanmaa20
08 Southeast Finland15
09 Savo-Karelia15
10 Vaasa16
11 Central Finland10
12 Oulu18
13 Lapland6

Pre-election composition

GovernmentSeats
Social Democratic Party of Finland40
Centre Party31
Green League20
Left Alliance16
Swedish People's Party of Finland10
OppositionSeats
Finns Party39
National Coalition Party37
Christian Democrats5
Movement Now1
Power Belongs to the People1
Source: Parliament of Finland[41]

Contesting parties

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
PartyIdeologyCandidates by electoral district
HelsinkiUusimaaVarsinais-SuomiSatakuntaÅlandHämePirkanmaaSouth-East FinlandSavo-KareliaVaasaCentral FinlandOuluLaplandTotal
293485214124151442391581561611461771122424
Social Democratic PartySocial democracy233717141420151516141814217
Finns PartyRight-wing populism233717141420151516141814217
Green LeagueGreen liberalism233717141420151516141814217
Left AllianceDemocratic socialism233717141420151516141814217
National CoalitionLiberal conservatism233717141419[b]14[b]1516141811[c]212
Centre PartyAgrarianism11[d]3717141420151516141814205
Christian DemocratsChristian democracy8[d]37171414201515161415[e]3[c]188
Movement NowEconomic liberalism2337171014201513105112177
Freedom AllianceNational conservatism16[f]32[f]15[f]9[f]7[f]11[f]10[f]10[f]10[f]8[f]11[f]4143
Swedish People's Party of FinlandSwedish minority interests
liberalism
233717351[b]1[b]216141111
Power Belongs to the PeopleRussophilia1025112749851484107
Liberal Party – Freedom to ChooseClassical liberalism2321115124546293
Blue-and-Black MovementNeo-fascism3717201488
Communist Party of FinlandCommunism141321965144665
Pirate PartyPirate politics2051154137
Crystal PartyVaccine hesitancy5[f]3[f]1[f]2[f]3[f]4[f]2[f]2[f]1[f]5[f]28
Animal Justice Party of FinlandAnimal rights4[g]4[g]317[g]120
Finnish Reform MovementNational conservatism4[d]453[e]16
Feminist PartyFeminism6[g]4[g]3[g]13
Finnish People FirstFinnish nationalism2[f]1[f]1[f]3[f]1[f]2[f]10
The Open PartyE-democracy819
Lapland's Non-Aligned Joint ListRegionalism88
Non-aligned CoalitionConservatism44
Welfare and EqualitySocial democracy44
Sustainable InitiativeGreen politics44
Citizens' UnionEuroscepticism1113
For ÅlandRegionalism33
Independent candidates121318

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/coalitionOriginal sloganEnglish translationRefs
Centre PartyEteenpäin!
Vastuuta koko Suomesta
Forwards!
Responsibility for the whole Finland
[55][56]
Christian DemocratsJärjen ääni
Suomeen suunnanmuutos
The voice of reason
Change of course for Finland
[56][57]
Finns PartyPelasta Suomi!Save Finland![56]
Green LeagueSuojele elämääProtect life[56]
Left AllianceReilumpi huominen kaikille, ei harvoilleA fairer tomorrow for everyone, not just for the few![56]
Movement NowUskalla olla erilainenDare to be different[56]
National CoalitionNyt on oikea aikaNow is the right time[56]
Power Belongs to the PeopleTäysivaltaista tasavaltaa jälleenrakentamassaRebuilding a sovereign republic[56]
Social Democratic PartyRohkeutta olla sinun puolellasiCourage to be on your side[56]
Swedish People's Party of FinlandYhdessä eteenpäin
(Swedish: Framåt tillsammans)
Moving forward together[56]

Debates

Debates during the campaign period
2023 Finnish parliamentary election debates
DateOrganisers    P  Present    N  Non-invitee 
SDPFinnsKOKCentreGreen LeagueVasSFP/RKPKDLiikRefs
30 MarchYleP
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 MarchYleP
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 MarchYleNNNP
Annika Saarikko
P
Maria Ohisalo
P
Li Andersson
NNN[60]
22 MarchYleNNNNNNP
Anna-Maja Henriksson
P
Sari Essayah
P
Hjallis Harkimo
[61]
21 MarchYleP
Sanna Marin
P
Riikka Purra
P
Petteri Orpo
NNNNNN[62]
20 MarchYleP
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 MarchUnifiP
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 MarchYVVP
Anita Hellman
P
Sakari Puisto
P
Pihla Keto-Huovinen
P
Päivi Mononen-Mikkilä
P
Amanda Pasanen
P
Veronika Honkasalo
P
Eva Biaudet
NP
Karoliina Kähönen
[65]

Members of Parliament standing down

Centre Party

Christian Democrats

Finns Party

Green League

Left Alliance

National Coalition Party

Social Democratic Party

Swedish People's Party

Opinion polls

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]

PartyVotes%+/–Seats+/–
National Coalition Party644,55520.82+3.8248+10
Finns Party620,98120.06+2.5846+7
Social Democratic Party617,55219.95+2.2243+3
Centre Party349,64011.29–2.4723–8
Left Alliance218,4307.06–1.1111–5
Green League217,7957.04–4.4513–7
Swedish People's Party133,5184.31–0.2290
Christian Democrats130,6944.22+0.3250
Movement Now74,9952.42+0.1710
Freedom Alliance27,5580.89New0New
Liberal Party – Freedom to Choose14,9820.48+0.3200
For Åland11,4520.37–0.0110
Power Belongs to the People8,4690.27New0New
Crystal Party4,8940.16New0New
Animal Justice Party3,1070.10–0.0100
Pirate Party3,0580.10–0.5200
Communist Party3,0440.10–0.0400
Blue-and-Black Movement2,3070.07New0New
Finnish Reform Movement1,3620.04–0.9300
Finnish People First1,2250.04–0.0400
Lapland's Non-Aligned Joint List1,2310.04New0New
Feminist Party1,1140.04–0.1800
The Open Party9850.03New0New
Welfare and Equality9230.03New0New
Non-aligned Coalition5140.02New0New
Sustainable Initiative4940.02New0New
Citizens' Union1690.01–0.0700
Independents5560.02–0.1900
Total3,095,604100.002000
Valid votes3,095,60499.54
Invalid/blank votes14,4340.46
Total votes3,110,038100.00
Registered voters/turnout4,277,48772.71
Source: Election Information and Results Service

Distribution by electoral district

Parties' vote share in each constituency
Electoral districtKOKPSSDPKESKVIHRVASSFPKDLiikÅ
%S%S%S%S%S%S%S%S%S%S
Helsinki26.5711.3320.851.615.3411.835.111.92.3
Uusimaa26.21118.2719.284.827.634.618.733.513.71
Varsinais-Suomi23.0520.0418.138.417.0111.625.012.82.4
Satakunta17.0226.6324.6213.912.78.30.33.21.7
Åland85.61
Häme21.5324.4423.748.614.75.910.35.513.1
Pirkanmaa21.5520.2525.967.117.516.910.35.412.5
Southeast Finland22.0422.7423.7413.625.113.70.23.53.5
Savo-Karelia16.3320.0319.1319.735.715.510.19.812.1
Vaasa14.2221.3411.7217.932.72.419.346.911.5
Central Finland16.3220.5222.8317.727.616.50.15.31.3
Oulu14.9325.4513.7225.055.019.420.23.11.1
Lapland12.2126.8218.1124.823.59.90.31.10.7
Total20.84820.14619.94311.3237.0137.1114.394.252.410.41
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

Notes

References