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Finnish MP Mauri Peltokangas returns to parliament post-hospitalization to vote on contentious expulsion law

Friday 12th 2024 on 16:05 in  
Finland

Mauri Peltokangas, a member of the Finnish Parliament and chairman of the administrative committee, arrived at the parliament on Friday to vote on the expulsion law. Many MPs showed their support for Peltokangas by hugging and patting him on the back. Earlier in the week, Peltokangas was unexpectedly admitted to the hospital.

He was supposed to present the administrative committee’s report on the expulsion law at the parliament’s plenary session on Tuesday, but he was not present. This came as a complete surprise to the deputy chairman of the committee, Pihla Keto-Huovinen, who had to present the report to the parliament on the spot.

On Wednesday, Peltokangas announced on Facebook that his “own machine gave a warning and stopped the man”. However, he reassured his followers that a professional said, “although the warranty period may have expired, there are still many years ahead,”.

As for his health, Peltokangas said, “I’m feeling excellent at the moment, thank you”. He declined to comment further on his health. During his summer vacation, he plans to rest and gather strength for the fall.

When asked about his experience with the process, he said, “It was certainly one of the most interesting processes of my life, as this is the largest legislative package dealt with during my term as chairman of the administrative committee.”.

Peltokangas is satisfied with the report that was completed on Monday evening in the administrative committee. He said he wouldn’t change much about it, “The finished package is what it was intended to be. The report, the result of a long stint, meets the need for which it was made,”.

His wish for the law to be declared urgent and approved was later fulfilled on Friday. However, several legal experts believe that Finland is violating European Union law by merely enacting the expulsion law.

Peltokangas believes that the law can still be applied if necessary in the name of national security, “A sovereign state has the right to defend national security, and that’s what the law is for,”.

According to Peltokangas, the extension of the parliamentary session due to the so-called expulsion law did not mess up his summer vacation plans. “I plan to spend as much time as possible in the countryside, close to nature. Maybe I’ll also do a bit of motorcycling, it’s relaxing,” Peltokangas shares his plans.