On the day after the polling day

Yesterday's elections were a triumph for the right wing National Coalition Party as they now have ten more seats in the Parliament than in the last term. The Center Party just managed to hold on to the majority of seats with 51 compared to National Coalition's 50. While the National Coalition celebrated its gains, the Social Democrats had to come to terms with apparently unexpected defeat by both of the big 'bourgeoisie' partys. It seems that there is a decline in the support of the labour parties as the Left Wing Alliance also lost seats. The liberal Green League was the only leftist party to gain seats.

The COFTU (Central Organisation for Finnish Trade Unions) adverts aimed at boosting the voting activity of its members may have had a counterproductive effect and triggered more conservative minded people to vote (fi).

The Christian Democrats kept the seats they already had and the Swedish People's Party gained one up from eight seats. The True Finns won two seats bringing the party's total to five.

Now that the elections are over, the next step is to form the new government. The process is lead by Center Party's chairman Matti Vanhanen who is likely to carry on as the Prime Minister. Vanhanen was quoted in Helsingin Sanomat (19.3.2007)(fi) saying all parties want to be a part of the new government but that a-four-party-government would be a good way of forming it. He also said that a government of 'the three big' (the Center Party, the Social Democratic Party and the National Coalition Party) is not an option.

I think Matti Vanhanen's view of the of the forming of the new government is healthy in his disinclination to only include the biggest parties. Finland has quite a healthy variety of poilitical parties holding seats in the Parliament which I see vital for good democracy. And too much power for a small group is never really a good way to go.

Although the country's voting percentage came down from last general elections' 69.7 to 67.8 there is something for all (who are for equality) to be happy about: The number of women in Parliament is now higher than ever at 84 (fi).