PM Vanhanen hopes immigration issue will not become blunt instrument in Finnish politics

Political scientist Martikainen argues that right-wing populism broke the surface in Sunday's vote

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Sunday’s municipal election result sends a bleak message towards the big losers of the contest, the Centre Party and the Social Democrats.
      Both parties lost ground in regions where their support has typically been unfaltering. The SDP lost support in the big cities, and particularly to the right-wing populist True Finns. The Centre Party in turn suffered a loss in the agricultural and scattered settlement areas. Winners there were the National Coalition Party and again the True Finns.
      When measured by the number of municipal councillors, the Centre Party still remains the largest municipal party, followed by the SDP. But jointly these two parties lost around 1,500 seats in the country.
      How do they plan to plug up the flow of support to Timo Soini’s True Finns?
     
Just like after the summer’s election funding stir, the Centre Party election chief Secretary-General Jarmo Korhonen once again travelled to Seinäjoki and refused to reply to any contact requests.
      The party’s chairman, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen in turn shed light on his sentiments on Monday evening in Smolna in connection with the prime ministers’ meeting of Nordic Countries and the Baltic States.
      “I hope not”, was Vanhanen’s reply to the claim that the success of the True Finns would have heaved the immigration issue onto centre-stage of politics in Finland.
      Neither the Centre Party nor the government, for that matter, will change their politics based on the True Finns’ increased approval, was the PM’s stand.
     
“I sincerely hope that we will not see the kind of political movement in Finland that is evident in some other European countries. Finland is in need of working age immigrants in particular, and immigration will be very much part of the country’s future.”
      The success of the True Finns group and its predecessor the Finnish Rural Party (Suomen Maaseudun Puolue, SMP) always evokes strong reactions among the Centre Party faithful. Vanhanen denies that he would be particularly concerned about the municipal challenge brought about by the True Finns.
      “The difference between the success of the True Finns in this election compared to their or indeed SMP’s previous victories, is possibly that this time around they gained popularity at the expense of the leftist parties, the SDP in particular. But the True Finns have every right to operate in this country”, Vanhanen commented.
     
According to an SDP estimate, the party lost supporters to the True Finns especially in the Kymi River region. In larger cities, in addition to the True Finns, the Green League also gained some new ground. In smaller rural communities the SDP even achieved some victories here and there.
      Social Democratic Party Secretary Ari Korhonen said he was satisfied with the party’s election themes, as they were in line with the traditional social democratic outlook. According to Korhonen the pressure from the True Finns is not going to cause changes.
     
Professor Emeritus Tuomo Martikainen told Helsingin Sanomat on Monday that the victory of the True Finns marks a breakthrough for right-wing populism, where the foreign population and immigration questions lie at the heart of the matter. “The nightmare is now here”, Martikainen continued.
      The political scientist's advice to the government is that it make allowance for the True Finns’ points of view and recognise that keeping quiet about the problems related to immigration will not make them disappear.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  EDITORIAL: National Coalition make history by overtaking SDP and Centre (27.10.2008)
  MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS, SUNDAY 23:45: National Coalition Party largest party, True Finns big winners, gains for Greens (26.10.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat