Finnish Premier in Jeopardy as Partners Discuss Support
Finnish Premier in Jeopardy as Partners Meet to Discuss Support
(Bloomberg) -- Finland’s Antti Rinne was facing the worst crisis of his six-month tenure on Monday, with a key coalition partner considering pulling its support for the prime minister over his role in a controversy involving the country’s postal service.
At an emergency meeting in Helsinki on Monday, Center Party lawmakers expressed their mistrust in the prime minister but did not reach a decision on whether to end their backing in the premier. The party’s leader, Economy Minister Katri Kulmuni, said the group needed more time, with talks due to continue later on Monday.
The party doesn’t want to step away from its coalition partners or the government program, she said.
A motion for a no-confidence vote from the opposition looms over the government, with a debate on the issue set for Tuesday afternoon and a confidence vote to follow on Wednesday.
“The real question is whether there is mutual trust between the parties,” Seppo Kaariainen, a Center Party veteran, tweeted on Monday morning. “Finland needs a strong government. Something has to change.”
At the heart of the matter is a dispute over pay at the state-owned Posti Group Oyj that’s already cost Sirpa Paatero her position as minister in charge of state shareholdings and local government. Rinne, a former trade union leader, is accused by the opposition of breaking with tradition by getting involved in the spat and then misleading parliament about it. He denies the charges.
Should Rinne resign, the governing coalition could continue under a new Social Democratic prime minister, without the need for separate government talks or a snap election.
The latest precedent of that happening was in 2003, when Center Party’s Anneli Jaatteenmaki was forced to step down as premier by her coalition partners, the Social Democrats. She had been accused of lying to parliament about how she obtained confidential Foreign Ministry documents used to win the election.
To contact the reporters on this story: Kati Pohjanpalo in Helsinki at kpohjanpalo@bloomberg.net;Leo Laikola in Helsinki at llaikola@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tasneem Hanfi Brögger at tbrogger@bloomberg.net, Nick Rigillo
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