Prime Minister-designate Juha Sipilä (Centre) has promised to reveal which parties he will summon for coalition negotiations by Thursday evening.
The Finns Party is widely expected to participate in the negotiations following its success in the parliamentary elections, especially with Sipilä on Monday appearing conciliatory despite the party's initial failure to live up to his expectations.
Sipilä sat down with his counterpart Timo Soini in late April and was under the impression that the Finns Party has moderated its position on several key issues in the aftermath of the elections. The answers provided by the Finns Party to the 15 questions posed by Sipilä, however, were practically in line with its hard-line campaign manifesto.
The Centre Party and the Finns Party found common ground on a number of bones of contention on Monday. Sipilä nevertheless underscored that no decisions on government composition have been taken. The Centre Party, he added, is not prepared to compromise on several fronts only to pave the way of the Finns Party into the Government.
“It's not like the two of us can form the Government alone. The answers of others must also be taken into consideration,” he said.
The options available to the Prime Minister-designate were limited last week. The Left Alliance is far apart from other parties on economic issues. “I reckon they're gearing up for a position in the opposition,” Sipilä commented.
The Green League gained seats in the elections but is expected to shun a coalition pact with the Finns Party. At present, the Swedish People's Party is considered the most likely minor party to complement a coalition between the Centre and the Finns Party, while the Christian Democrats seems destined for the opposition benches.
Centre, Finns Party and Social Democrats:
The likelihood of a coalition between the Centre, the Finns Party and the Social Democrats has increased since the first post-election week, when a right-wing coalition was billed as the most likely outcome due to the election loss of the Social Democrats.
The Centre is keen on bringing the Finns Party into the Government to ensure it shoulders its share of responsibility for economic policy. The inclusion of the Social Democrats, in turn, is believed to boost hopes of reaching a comprehensive labour market agreement.
Soini spoke fondly of a possible coalition between the Centre, the Finns Party and the Social Democrats in the run-up to the elections, indicating that he would prefer the Social Democrats to the National Coalition as a coalition partner. The three parties are expected to find common ground especially on social policy, while the Finns Party and the Social Democrats agree widely on labour market issues.
The fact that the Finns Party lacks experience as a ruling party is a concern, however. In addition, its hard-line approach to immigration and environmental issues is a concern especially for the Social Democrats and, to a lesser extent, the Centre.
Although Soini has refrained from shedding light on his personal preferences, it is clear that the Finns Party has more in common with the Social Democrats than the National Coalition.
Centre, Finns Party and National Coalition:
A coalition between the Centre, the Finns Party and the National Coalition would herald change in the labour markets as well as boost hopes of restoring the competitiveness of industries and encouraging investments.
The Finns Party and the National Coalition, however, are far apart especially on issues regarding the European Union.
Centre, National Coalition and Social Democrats:
The Centre, the National Coalition and the Social Democrats are expected to have no trouble finding common ground on issues regarding the European Union.
A coalition between the three parties, however, seems unlikely as the Social Democratic Party has publicly declared that it is not interested in working together with the National Coalition. The feeling is mutual, not least due to the discordant last weeks in office of the Cabinet of Alexander Stubb (NCP).
Centre, Finns Party, National Coalition and Social Democrats:
A coalition between the Centre, the Finns Party, the National Coalition and the Social Democrats would allow none of the major parties to bolster their support in the opposition benches but would force them to commit to seeking a remedy to the woes of Finland.
The animosity between the Social Democrats and the National Coalition, however, is likely to prove an insurmountable obstacle to a coalition between the four largest parties. Sipilä has similarly revealed that the four-party coalition is not among the options under serious consideration.
Martta Nieminen – HS
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
© HELSINGIN SANOMAT
Photo: Leif Rosas
