The making of an ‘unhappy marriage’? The 2023 Finnish general election

Rarely, if ever, has a Finnish general election attracted such foreign media interest. Reporters came from across the globe, not to witness Finland become NATO’s thirty-first member-state on 4 April, two days after the general election, but to see if the party-loving Social Democrat prime minister S...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inWest European politics Vol. 47; no. 2; pp. 426 - 438
Main Author Arter, David
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Taylor & Francis Ltd 23.02.2024
Subjects
Climate policy
Coalitions
Constituents
Development aid
Development policy
Elections
Environmental policy
Immigration
Immigration policy
Marriage
Nationalist movements
Policy analysis
Political opposition
Political parties
Prime ministers
Taxation
Voting
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Rarely, if ever, has a Finnish general election attracted such foreign media interest. Reporters came from across the globe, not to witness Finland become NATO’s thirty-first member-state on 4 April, two days after the general election, but to see if the party-loving Social Democrat prime minister Sanna Marin could secure a second term at the helm.1 In the event, Marin became only the third prime minister in recent times to increase the party vote, albeit by not quite enough, and she promptly indicated she would stand down as party leader. The election was won by the two main opposition parties, the National Coalition and Finns Party. The National Coalition became the largest parliamentary party for only the second time in its history, whilst the Finns Party gained over one-fifth of the national poll for the first time and became the largest party on the basis of the popular vote in no less than half the 12 mainland constituencies. Despite their deep differences on major policy issues – including immigration, taxation, development aid and climate policy – the National Coalition and Finns Party ultimately formed the core of a centre-right government, although it took almost to midsummer to do so, and it was then characterised by a minor coalition party leader as an ‘unhappy marriage’ made out of necessity.
ISSN:0140-2382
1743-9655
DOI:10.1080/01402382.2023.2233072