Siikalatva leaders face dual no-confidence motions

A small Finnish municipality is embroiled in a political crisis as two parallel motions seek to remove both the municipal board’s leadership and the council’s leadership from office.

Siikalatva’s municipal board this week backed proposals to establish temporary committees to investigate the removal of its own chair and the council’s chair, according to a report by Yle. The first motion, signed by six council members, cites a loss of confidence and administrative shortcomings. The second, signed by 17 council or deputy council members, alleges general distrust in the council’s leadership.

The board approved both proposals with minimal debate, though a counter-proposal to block the council leadership’s investigation failed in a 4–2 vote. Final decisions on forming the committees will be made by the full council this autumn.

Council chair Kaisa Louet (Centre), who also serves as the municipality’s wellbeing coordinator, claims she is the only employee being laid off following recent co-determination talks affecting all 200 municipal staff. She describes the situation as a 10-month “witch hunt” targeting her personally.

Juha Myllynen (Centre), a council and board member who signed the motion against the board’s leadership, argues the distrust stems from issues with corporate governance, subsidiary management, and workplace atmosphere. However, he opposes the motion against the council leadership, calling it a politically motivated attack without stated grounds.

Municipal board chair Seija Junno (Centre), who supports the motion against the council leadership, says attempts to find a compromise have failed. She insists the reasons for distrust will be disclosed to council members before any vote on the committee’s formation.

Siikalatva, home to 5,000 residents, has 23 council members, 17 of whom represent the Centre Party.