Social Democrats alarmed at low poll ratings on eve of elections

Party chairman Lipponen urges higher turnout

Paavo Lipponen

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"You guessed right. We Social Democrats are concerned about voter activity", declared Paavo Lipponen, Speaker of Parliament, at the beginning of a press conference on Thursday.
      Lipponen was speaking, however, in his capacity as Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, and his remarks were at least as much about the SDP’s own low poll ratings (see link below ) as about fears that turnout in Sunday’s European Parliament elections would not rise much above the 31.4% of 1999: the lower the turnout at the polls, the grimmer the prognosis would be for the Social Democrats.
      Lipponen voiced the opinion that low turnout was not so much that Finnish citizens had anything against the EU Parliament elections or wished to protest, but more that they did not have a strong enough grasp that these were a real-life ballot with real meaning. "These are policy-direction elections at the European level. The European Parliament decides between fundamental alternatives. This is a question of whether we follow a conservative line or a social democracy line", argued Lipponen.
     
Lipponen observed that those voting for the Centre Party or the conservatives of the National Coalition Party do not ultimately know what kind of policies they are voting for, whereas the SDP voter knows that the party will follow the same sort of direction as that espoused in Finland.
      "We are concerned that when the National Coalition’s group in the European Parliament is the conservative grouping, what sort of front is it going to present", said Lipponen. He was suggesting darkly that the policies hatched there would be more strongly conservative - even reactionary - than those found on the centre-right in the domestic political spectrum. He mentioned issues such as gender equality and the right to abortion, and urged voters to consider the alternatives.
      The Social Democrats challenged other parties to campaign on behalf of increasing voter turnout. The SDP would like to see the voting percentage topping 50%, a substantial jump from the barely 30% of last time.
      Lipponen offered to buy coffee and cakes for the party chairman whose party enjoyed a larger support than the SDP come Sunday evening. On the basis of the most recent Helsingin Sanomat polls, Lipponen will be shelling out for coffee to two individuals, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) and the new National Coalition Party leader Jyrki Katainen.
      The Social Democrats intend to wind up their election campaign on Saturday in massive fashion, with more than 200 events up and down the country.
     
Finland goes to the polls on Sunday to elect 14 MEPs to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Dutch and British voters had their turn already on Thursday. In The Netherlands, where provisional results were released last night in defiance of an EU Commission ban, victory was claimed by the left and by a former whistleblower campaigning for greater transparency in the Union.
      In Britain, where local and mayoral elections were also held, the vote is seen as an important test of mid-term sentiment on issues such as Iraq. Initial reports from local council polls indicate a rough ride for the Labour Party of Prime Minister Tony Blair.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Centre and National Coalition on top in European Parliament election poll (9.6.2004)

Helsingin Sanomat