Sonkajärvi council faces no-confidence vote over wind power dispute

Eight municipal councillors in Sonkajärvi, eastern Finland, have demanded the resignation of the entire municipal board over a dispute concerning wind farm planning, Yle reports.

The conflict stems from the board’s refusal to follow the council’s position on including the Huttunen wind power area in the regional plan. The council had supported the inclusion, but the board submitted a dissenting statement during its June 2025 and February 2026 reviews of the regional plan.

Social Democrat councillor Marko Kumpulainen, one of the initiative’s signatories, stated that the board’s actions contradicted the council’s expressed will. Five of the eight signatories represent the Centre Party, while two are from the Finns Party.

The councillors argue that the ongoing lack of confidence undermines the municipality’s decision-making and weakens the administration’s credibility. Under Finnish municipal law, a council can dismiss board members mid-term if they lose the council’s confidence—provided at least one-quarter of councillors initiate the process.

The board will now propose whether the council should establish a temporary committee to prepare a decision on the dismissals. If formed, the five-member committee would assess whether the confidence crisis warrants the board’s removal, with a justified proposal presented to the council. If no committee is established, the matter will be dropped.

The municipal board will address the issue at its meeting on Monday, 30 March.

Sonkajärvi’s 21-seat council is currently composed of nine Centre Party members, five Social Democrats, four Finns Party representatives, one Left Alliance member, and two from the National Coalition Party.