Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin Concedes Election, Nationalist Party Wins.
Sanna Marin, Finland's Prime Minister and world's youngest at the time when she took office in 2019, has conceded defeat to her party in a parliamentary election as the right-wing National Coalition Party (NCP) claimed victory.
The NCP won 48 out of 200 seats in parliament, narrowly ahead of the nationalist Finns Party with 46 seats and Marin's Social Democrats on 43 seats. The pro-business NCP was expected to win the majority after leading in polls for almost two years. It promised to curb spending and stop the rise of public debt.
NCP leader Petteri Orpo said that his party had gained the biggest mandate, vowing to "fix Finland" and its economy. He will get the first chance at forming a coalition with all groups to obtain a majority in parliament.
Marin acknowledged her loss, saying she was proud of what the Social Democrats have achieved but did not accept defeat. Marin's era as Prime Minister is expected to end after 47 months of office.
The NCP has campaigned on issues such as reducing public debt and immigration from developing countries outside the European Union. The party also shares with NCP austerity policies stance that has been a key campaign issue.
Marin had become increasingly unpopular at home, criticized for her party's lavish spending on pensions and education. Marin also faced criticism from conservatives for not cutting enough spending to curb deficit and stop public debt growth.
Sanna Marin, Finland's Prime Minister and world's youngest at the time when she took office in 2019, has conceded defeat to her party in a parliamentary election as the right-wing National Coalition Party (NCP) claimed victory.
The NCP won 48 out of 200 seats in parliament, narrowly ahead of the nationalist Finns Party with 46 seats and Marin's Social Democrats on 43 seats. The pro-business NCP was expected to win the majority after leading in polls for almost two years. It promised to curb spending and stop the rise of public debt.
NCP leader Petteri Orpo said that his party had gained the biggest mandate, vowing to "fix Finland" and its economy. He will get the first chance at forming a coalition with all groups to obtain a majority in parliament.
Marin acknowledged her loss, saying she was proud of what the Social Democrats have achieved but did not accept defeat. Marin's era as Prime Minister is expected to end after 47 months of office.
The NCP has campaigned on issues such as reducing public debt and immigration from developing countries outside the European Union. The party also shares with NCP austerity policies stance that has been a key campaign issue.
Marin had become increasingly unpopular at home, criticized for her party's lavish spending on pensions and education. Marin also faced criticism from conservatives for not cutting enough spending to curb deficit and stop public debt growth.