Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 15 april 2019

Social Democrats, populists top Finland vote ahead of EU’s

By JARI TANNER that reflects disenchant- The opposition Social
DOROTHEE THIESING ment with mainstream poli- Democratic Party, which
Associated Press tics across Europe. has traditionally attracted
HELSINKI (AP) — Finland’s “Support for the three tra- working-class voters, favors
Social Democratic Party ditional established parties raising taxes and increas-
won the most votes in the has been down for years. ing spending to overhaul
country’s parliamentary The political center is weak- a costly Nordic social and
election Sunday, trailed ening, which is an overall health care system that is
closely by a populist party European phenomenon,” under strain with one of the
that campaigned on ensur- Aaltola wrote on Twitter. most rapidly aging popula-
ing the government does The election followed a tions worldwide.
not overdo its efforts to campaign in which con- The Social Democrats also
combat climate change. cerns about climate back the pro-European
A near complete vote change even overshad- Union policies of Finland,
count late Sunday gave owed the issue of how to which uses the shared euro
the Social Democrats 40 reform the nation’s gener- currency but is not a NATO
seats in Finland’s 200-mem- Chairman of the Green League Pekka Haavisto, Chairman of ous welfare model. member. Finland shares a
ber parliament, and the The Centre Party Juha Sipila, Chairman of the National Coalition Finland, a European Union 1,340-kilometer (830-mile)
Party Petteri Orpo, Chairman of the Finns Party Jussi Halla-aho
euroskeptic, anti-immigra- and Chairman of The Social Democratic Party Antti Rinne stand member of 5.5 million border with Russia.
tion Finns Party 39 seats. The at the Little Parliament building, in Helsinki, Finland, Sunday, April people, has one-third of its Rural voters and other resi-
election was watched for 14, 2019. territory above the Arctic dents who feel that the cli-
signs of how a populist bloc Associated Press Circle. Most political parties mate change plans of oth-
might do in next month’s alliance of populist parties and to radically transform support government ac- er leading parties require
European Parliament elec- that aims to become the EU policies on migration, tions to curb global warm- too much sacrifice have
tions. strongest faction in the Eu- security, family and envi- ing. been part of the momen-
The Finns Party is part of an ropean Union legislature ronment. Pre-election policy debates tum of the populist Finns
“I have to make a hon- over what and how much Party.
est confession: I hoped still the Nordic country should “We want a more moder-
for a better result,” Social do revealed disagreement ate and sensible climate
Democratic Party leader among voters. policy that does not chase
Antti Rinne, a former fi- The Finns Party railed industries away from Fin-
nance minister and union against public sacrifices land to countries like Chi-
leader, said at an election in the name of fighting cli- na,” party chairman Halla-
night party in central Helsin- mate change. It put less aho said Sunday at a Hel-
ki. “Let us, my friends, take focus on immigration than sinki polling station.
the Finnish society toward anti-migrant, euroskeptic Immigration remains a key
sustainable climate, social counterparts elsewhere in policy issue, Halla-aho said.
and economic policies.” Europe have done in re- Greenpeace Finland
The near-complete tally cent years. called Sunday’s vote the
from Sunday’s election “For everybody, it’s about “climate election,” saying
gave the conservative Na- the climate. It’s kind of a cli- that “never before has cli-
tional Coalition Party 37 mate election. Everybody’s mate and the limits of plan-
seats and outgoing Prime feeling some kind of a de- et Earth been discussed
Minister Juha Sipila’s Cen- pression about it,” voter with such seriousness in Fin-
ter Party 31. Sofia Frantsi, 27, an interior land.”
The Center Party lost more architect from Helsinki, told The environmental group
support than any other par- The Associated Press on cited a recent nationwide
ty compared to Finland’s Sunday. poll in which 70% of respon-
last election in 2015, appar- Voters chose between dents said tackling climate
ently punished by voters for 2,500 candidates from 19 change and reducing car-
failing while in government political parties and move- bon footprints should be
to push through an ambi- ments for the Eduskunta key priorities of the new
tious health care and social legislature’s 200 seats. government.
care reform plan. The party with the most Finland is boosting its pro-
Finnish Institute of Interna- votes typically tries to a new duction of nuclear en-
tional Affairs program di- government with other par- ergy by launching a new
rector Mika Aaltola said ties as partners. A Cabinet nuclear power plant next
voters putting their support made up of ministers from year. Finnish lawmakers last
behind comparative po- different political parties is month voted to phase out
litical upstarts produced a long-time tradition in Fin- burning coal as an energy
“a historic result” in Finland land. source to end it by 2029.q