Finland’s left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin conceded defeat on Sunday in the Nordic country’s parliamentary election as the opposition center-right National Coalition Party (NCP) claimed victory in a tightly fought contest.
The pro-business NCP was expected to win 48 of the 200 seats in parliament, narrowly ahead of the right-wing nationalist Finns Party with 46 seats and Marin’s Social Democrats on 43 seats, justice ministry election data showed with all ballots counted.
“We got the biggest mandate,” NCP leader Petteri Orpo said in a speech to followers, vowing to “fix Finland” and its economy.
(R to L) The Finns Party chair Riikka Purra, National Coalition Party chair Petteri Orpo, and Social Democratic Party SDP chair and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin react during a live broadcast from the Pikkuparlamentti during an official election event following the Finnish parliamentary elections in Helsinki on April 2, 2023. (JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images)
He will get the first chance at forming a coalition to obtain majority in parliament as Marin’s era as prime minister was expected to end….