Finnish far-right coalition deal reflects pan-European trend

Finland’s far-right Finns party has joined the country’s new coalition government, promising a tougher line on crime and immigration.

The Helsinki deal comes eight months after the far-right Sweden Democrats agreed to support a conservative-led government in Stockholm – with another such alliance likely in Spain ahead of next month’s general election.

After seven weeks of tense talks, Finland’s new four-party coalition will be led by the conservative prime minister Petteri Orpo and his National Coalition Party.

With a narrow majority of just nine in the 200-seat parliament, however, all eyes are on the far-right Finns party and its leader Riikka Purra. Though she guided her party to a record result, placing second in the April election, many other Finnish parties vowed not to work with the populist party.

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Ms Purra made it into power after all, securing seven cabinet posts for her party – including the influential finance portfolio for herself. Presenting the agreement, the future finance minister will prioritise measures to curb the fiscal deficit – a major concern of voters – by cutting social welfare payments.

She insisted the new government will impose a more “balanced, realistic” approach to energy and climate issues, avoiding additional costs for consumers.

[ Germany’s far right rises: ‘It won’t be possible to keep the AfD out of office forever – they will get in’ ]

The Finns’ influence is most clear on immigration and integration issues, however, with 10 pages of the coalition programme dedicated to cutting new arrival number and allowing for the imprisonment and deportation of illegal arrivals.

Work permits for legal immigrants will expire unless they find work within three months of arrival while Finland’s annual refugee quota will be cut by more than half to 500. Asylum will be reviewed after three years while permanent residence will be possible only after six years and depend on a continuous employment record and language proficiency test.

In addition to seven cabinet posts, the Finns will control the parliamentary speaker and has nominated former party leader Jussi Halla-aho for the influential role. A three-term MP, he is a controversial figure in Finnish life with a conviction for ethnic agitation and disturbing religious worship.

Amid a wider EU debate on tougher immigration rules at its outer borders, some Finnish experts see a shift away from Finland’s traditional proactive approach.

“Now we’re taking a bit of a different role where we’ll be doing the absolute minimum within international treaties and commitments,” Annu Lehtinen, the executive director of the Finnish Refugee Council, told the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.

Finland’s shift to the right echoes similar trends across Europe.

In Austria, the far-right Freedom Party, on 30 per cent in polls, is Austria’s most popular party with a six-point lead on the ruling conservatives. Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is riding high on 20 per cent in polls. An AfD candidate secured a third of the vote in a run-off mayoral election in the north-eastern city of Schwerin.

Meanwhile Spain’s socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez has warned of a proposed election alliance between the conservative People’s Party (PP) and the radical right Vox party ahead of the snap election on July 23rd.

Ms Sanchez has warned that a PP-Vox alliance would “upset the balance within Europe” on the “social, political and scientific consensus”.