Petteri Orpo, elected Prime Minster of Finland
Petteri Orpo, the head of conservative party of Finland, has been chosen as the nation’s prime minister by the parliament, which is a significant political milestone. Four parties, including the far-right Finns Party, which wants to impose severe immigration regulations, will form a coalition under Orpo’s leadership. After Orpo won the elections in Finland in April and following coalition government formation talks, this action was taken.
Coalition composition of Finland government
Along with the NCP and Finns Party, the coalition also consists of the smaller Swedish People’s Party (RKP) and Christian Democrats. The focus of Orpo’s campaign was austerity, with a commitment to cut spending by six billion euros over four years.
Immigration reforms to be implemented
The newly created coalition unveiled a “paradigm shift” in immigration policy last week. The plan proposes to establish distinct social security benefit programmes for immigrants and permanent residents, as well as to cut the number of refugees accepted through the UN refugee agency from 1,050 per year to 500. Experts have expressed fear that the Constitution would be broken by these proposed modifications.
Riikka Purra, the head of the Finns Party, also emphasised strategies for limiting eligibility for citizenship and permanent residency. The coalition’s emphasis on tackling immigration-related issues and imposing stronger rules in this area is reflected in these legislation.
Political journey of Orpo
Since the 1990s, Orpo has been associated with the National Coalition Party (NCP). Later, he held posts as the Minister of Interior and Finance under Centre Party Premier Juha Sipilä after serving as the Minister of Agriculture under former NCP Prime Minister Stubb.
In 2016, Orpo challenged Stubb for the NCP leadership, blaming him for a drop in voter support. Orpo ran for office on a platform of restoring the party’s unity and taking it back to the top. His victory over Stubb in a party vote was resounding.
Orpo decided against forming a coalition with the Social Democrats after his party lost the 2019 elections by a razor-thin margin. He set out to restore the party’s reputation as a classic centre-right economic alternative, highlighting a readiness to cut back on government spending and keep tax rises to a minimum.
