Finland: The National Coalition Party (NCP) has claimed victory in a tightly fought parliamentary election in Finland.

With all of the votes counted, the centre-right party came out on top with 20.8 percent. They were followed by the right-wing populist party, The Finns, with 20.1 percent, and Prime Minister Ms. Sanna Marin’s Social Democrats with 19.9 percent.

“We got the biggest mandate,” NCP leader Mr. Petteri Orpo stated as he claimed victory, surrounded by supporters in the capital, Helsinki.

“Based on this result, talks over forming a new government in Finland will be initiated under the leadership of the National Coalition Party,” Mr. Orpo added.

With the top three parties each getting around 20 percent of the vote, no party is in a position to form a government alone. Over 2,400 candidates from 22 parties were vying for the 200 seats in the Nordic country’s parliament.

Ms. Sanna Marin conceded the defeat by stating that “congratulations to the winner of the elections, congratulations to the National Coalition Party, congratulations to The Finns Party. Democracy has spoken.”

“We have gained support, we have gained more seats in parliament. That is an excellent achievement, even if we did not finish first today,” the Prime Minister added.

Ms. Marin has received international praise for her vocal support of Ukraine and her prominent role, along with President Sauli Niinisto, in advocating for Finland’s successful application to join NATO.

However, in her country, she has faced criticism for her partying and her government’s lavish public spending, including on pensions and education.

The NCP, which has led in polls for almost two years, has accused the PM of eroding the country’s economic resilience at a time when Europe’s energy crisis, driven by Russia’s war in Ukraine, has hit the country hard.

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