FINLAND'S EXPECTATIONS FOR THE UPCOMING EU ELECTIONS
Finland is a country well-known for its progressive mindset, but also its involvement in solving environmental issues. It seems natural that the tendencies for the upcoming European elections are for parties who support these policies. However, because of the global tense climate, security is currently the new preoccupation of Finnish citizens.
A voting tendency opposite to some other European countries
For the upcoming elections, a dozen of European countries’ polls show the increasing influence of the extreme-right wing. It is not the case in Finland. One of the latest polls made by Yle, the national broadcasting company, show that 21,6% of people would either vote for the PM party, the right-wing National Coalition Party (NCP), or for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the runner-up left-wing party. In both cases, these parties are pro-European and pro-NATO.
However, the extreme-right-wing entered the Finnish government at the last general election, which led to multiple criticism towards the Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, who was accused of making alliances with the Finns Party, a populist and Eurosceptic party.
The rise of the extreme-right wing seems to be more moderate than in France for instance. Or is it that no one sees it because it is well-hidden? While politics are tackled in the media, it is not sufficient to get a broad view on the topic to pick the most suitable candidate. Articles also can be complicated to understand for people with little to no previous politics knowledge. The rise of the extreme-right wing could then be explained, on one hand by the lack of information, and on the other by the tendency of social media to showcase nationalism and right to extreme right-wing accounts.
The appearance of new preoccupations
Finland shares for about 1200km of border with Russia, as well as a very complex history. In fact, Finland gained its independence from the Russian Empire in 1917. Because of the Ukrainian war, the country felt the need for more security. It therefore joined NATO in 2023, and ensured, for an indefinite period, that its borders were to be closed and protected from undocumented migrants willing to enter the territory.
Because of the numerous tensions and additional events occurring at a worldwide scale, security becomes one of the most important affair for the upcoming elections. 49% of the voters put foreign policy and security as their top topic of interest in a candidate. The Finnish PM spoke in March 2024 in front of the European Parliament on the subject: "My government is committed to a strong European Union […] that acts, not only reacts. We want to build a Union that takes care of our common security and works for our economy".
Although the ecological question was dominant in 2019, a drop of the Green party can be consequently observed in the polls, even if it does not exclude the preoccupations regarding this concern.
Yet, this phenomena seems to give Finland an important benefit: a predicted increase of the participation rate. Even if the country has been granted the 5th place on a worldwide democratic index, in 2019, only 42.7% of the registered voted. This year, 55% of the Finns assured they would vote. Only the aspect of the veto right still bothers them as they find it undemocratic and would happily trade it for a majority voting, which would allow the EU to gain more credibility on the world scene.
Finland is seen as an advanced country when it comes to equality, a nation that embraces progressive views. Yet, beyond what the country wants to display, a lot of issues remain and are revealed through the vote. Still, what cannot be reproached is the political involvement of its population and its great participation rate in the elections.
By Nina Thevenet
To go further on our May file dedicated to european elections, you can read our Society and Culture sections’ articles on our blog.
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