Finland Completes Power Shift as Rinne Cabinet Is Sworn In
Finland Completes Power Shift as Rinne Cabinet Is Sworn In
(Bloomberg) -- Antti Rinne was sworn in as Finland’s prime minister to lead a left-and-center coalition of 19 ministers, including 11 women.
Finland’s president Sauli Niinisto appointed Rinne’s government on Thursday following a vote in parliament which saw 111 to 74 lawmakers approving him as the new premier. Niinisto also accepted the resignation of Juha Sipila’s caretaker government.
Rinne, 56, leads a five-party coalition with plans to increase public spending by more than 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion) just as the economy cools. It plans to direct additional funds to road and rail projects, on education and innovation as well as social services, and pay for it by raising taxes and selling state assets.
Much of the government’s program is built on the target to raise the employment rate to 75% from its current level of 72.6% -- a goal that may prove challenging as economic growth slows and demand for workers eases.
Key cabinet appointments include Center Party’s Mika Lintila, 53, as finance minister, Greens’ Pekka Haavisto, 61, as foreign minister and Center’s Katri Kulmuni, 31, as economy minister. The Left Alliance and the Swedish People’s Party are also members of the coalition.
To contact the reporter on this story: Leo Laikola in Helsinki at llaikola@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kati Pohjanpalo at kpohjanpalo@bloomberg.net
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