Presumptive PM Orpo Invites All Parties To First Phase Coalition Talks

Petteri Orpo, head of the centre-right National Coalition Party (Kok) has invited all parties that won seats in the 2 April general election to take part in first-phase coalition talks. These are set to get underway around 14 April, following the convening of the new parliament. Former finance minister Orpo's Kok party won a plurality of seats, with 48 of the 200 on offer, an increase of 10. As such, he will have the first opportunity to form a majority coalition. This could prove a difficult task given the broad ideological spectrum of parties in parliament.

• The stark choice for Orpo's party is either seeking a gov't with the right-wing nationalist Finns Party - which won a record number of seats, coming in second with 46 - or the centre-left Social Democrats of the defeated PM Sanna Marin (who actually increased her party's seat total by three to 43).
• The significant losses for three of the smaller parties in Marin's five-party coalition is likely to see them all enter opposition. The agrarian regionalist Centre Party, historically one of Finland's dominant political forces, suffered its worst result since 1916, winning just 23 seats.
• The Swedish minority-interest Swedish People's Party is likely to play kingmaker in terms of opting to back a right-leaning coalition with the National Coalition and Finns parties, or a 'grand coalition' involving the National Coalition Party aligning with Marin's Social Democrats. The broad right-wing coalition involving National Coalition, the Finns, the Christian Democrats and Movement Now would be one seat short of a 101 majority.

Source: Electoral Commission, MNI