Centre Party leaders rally behind Niinistö in second round of Presidential race

Advance voting begins today

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The Parliamentary group of the Centre Party met on Tuesday to ponder the implications of the defeat of Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen in Sunday’s first round of the Presidential elections.
      Another key item on the agenda was a demand that the Centre Party’s Social Democratic partners be more cooperative within the coalition.
      Timo Kalli, the chairman of the Centre Party group, noted that the Centre had taken on the role of bearing responsibility, while SDP Parliamentarians have been deviating from government policy.
      Prime Minister Vanhanen added that the Centre Party has fully answered for what the government has decided. He also said that holding on to that responsibility added to the "difficulty coefficient" of his campaign.
     
The Centre Party MPs also discussed the agreement with the National Coalition Party of cooperation in the second round of the Presidential elections, in which the National Coalition Party’s Sauli Niinistö faces incumbent President Tarja Halonen, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party and the Left Alliance.
      Kalli said that many had expressed the view that supporting Niinistö is not easy, but none actually came out against him.
      Vanhanen said that he does not plan to take an active role in Niinistö’s campaign, noting that he already did his part on Sunday when he declared his support for Niinistö in the second round.
      Vanhanen also insisted that there is nothing strange in the Prime Minister of a government, in which the Centre Party and the Social Democrats are the main partners, putting his support behind the Presidential candidate of the opposition National Coalition Party. He noted that the SDP is involved in structural cooperation with the opposition Left Alliance.
     
Prime Minister Vanhanen got the full support of his Parliamentary group to continue as party chairman and as Prime Minister.
      Vanhanen said that he would seek to renew his mandate as party leader at next summer’s party congress, and to seek to be the Prime Minister of the next government.
      The party’s deputy chair Paula Lehtomäki confirmed her support for Vanhanen, putting a stop to speculation that Lehtomäki might challenge Vanhanen for the post.
     
Commenting on the election, Vanhanen said on Tuesday that he realised that he had lost the race when the results of advance voting appeared on the television screen.
      Asked about his view on possible NATO membership, Vanhanen responded with a laugh: "I was a candidate in the first round".
     
Advance voting in the second round of the Presidential elections begins today, Wednesday. Voting will continue in post offices and other locations until Tuesday next week. The actual election day is Sunday, January 29th.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Runoff campaign begins; Niinistö and Halonen fight over Vanhanen’s votes (17.1.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat