TIMO SOINI (BR), the Minister for Foreign Affairs, has announced he will not run for another term in the Finnish Parliament.
“I’m sure the best day of my life is still ahead of me. I can’t think that it is already behind me. I’ve been through many a test. I’ve held on to my faith. I won’t be running in the parliamentary elections,” he stated on his blog on Tuesday.
“A new journey will start for me after this term as a Member of the Parliament. The road sign shows neither the destination, nor the distance there,” added Soini.
Soini on Tuesday declined to comment on his plans for the upcoming elections to the European Parliament. He is now either expected to walk away from politics entirely or announce his bid for a seat in the European Parliament on 23–26 May.
Simon Elo, the chairperson of the Blue Parliamentary Group, said Soini’s announcement came as news also to his fellow party members.
“Timo is not the kind of person who’d say one thing privately and another thing publicly. He has said clearly he will announce his decision to everyone when the time is right. And that time is now. All the options were on the table,” he told.
Soini, he added, would have been a welcome addition to the party’s ticket for the looming elections. “There certainly would’ve been room for a person who has won 30,000 votes in an election,” admitted Elo.
Finnish political parties had to submit their lists of candidates for the upcoming elections on Tuesday, 5 March. The parliamentary elections will be held on Sunday, 14 April, with the advance voting period starting on 3 April and ending on 9 April in Finland.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: Uusi Suomi
