Petteri Orpo, the leader of the centre-right National Coalition Party, is set to become Finland’s next prime minister after Sunday’s election (April 2).
His party secured 48 of 200 parliamentary seats, pipping the 43 seats won by the Social Democrats — the party headed by incumbent PM Sanna Marin.
Mr Orpo said: “Based on this result, talks over forming a new government to Finland will be initiated under the leadership of the National Coalition Party.”
He will now face multiple challenges and opportunities, especially as Finland is set to join Nato from Tuesday. There is also a threat of a recession.
Mr Orpo will now look to form a government alongside backers.
Who is Petteri Orpo?
At 53, Mr Orpo is older than 37-year-old Ms Marin, who had been one of the world’s youngest premiers.
He has a master’s degree in political science and served in the Finnish army before entering politics, becoming an MP in 2007. He served in various roles in the National Coalition before becoming deputy prime minister in 2017. Mr Orpo later became party leader.
He is married to Niina Kanniainen and has two children.
What are Petteri Orpo’s political views?
Mr Orpo is far more conservative than his predecessor and observers say the result means a power shift in Finland’s political scene as the nation is now likely to get a new centre-right government with nationalist tones.
“I trust the Finnish tradition of negotiating with all parties, and trying to find the best possible majority government for Finland,” Mr Orpo told the AP.
“And you know what is important for us? It’s that we are an active member of the European Union. We build up Nato-Finland, and we fix our economy. We boost our economic growth and create new jobs. These are the crucial, main, important issues we have to write into the government programme.”
But the direction of the country’s politics could depend on who enters a coalition with the National Coalition Party.
The main campaign policy of Ms Marin’s party was the Finnish economy, which was challenged by the conservatives, who remain critical of the Social Democrats’ economic policies and are unlikely to partner with them.
The National Coalition Party could court the right-wing Finns Party, but this will likely lead to a disagreement over immigration. Allies could come in the form of the Centre Party — but they may take some convincing that they would not be more effective in opposition.
How will Pettero Orpo handle Finland’s Nato membership and what is his stance on Ukraine?
Finland’s membership was confirmed last week, with Turkey backing Finland to join.
Ms Marin has received international praise for her vocal support of Ukraine in its fight against Russia and, along with President Sauli Niinistö, in advocating for Finland’s successful application to join Nato.
Finland has a 1,300 km (810 mile) border with Russia, meaning Nato’s frontier with Russia will now roughly double in length.
Mr Orpo said: “First to Ukraine: we stand by you, with you. We cannot accept this terrible war. And we will do all that is needed to help Ukraine, Ukrainian people, because they fight for us. This is clear.”
He added: “And the message to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is: go away from Ukraine because you will lose.”
