Finnish MP Antti Kangas hospitalised after suffering a stroke

Finnish MP Antti Kangas of the Finns Party has revealed he suffered a stroke caused by a vertebral artery dissection, he announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

Kangas, 39, told public broadcaster Yle from Central Ostrobothnia Central Hospital that he first noticed symptoms while sleeping on Monday morning. Though they initially subsided, they worsened later in the day.

“In the afternoon, my face went numb, and it felt like someone was pulling my eye from the back of my neck. In the evening, I started limping again—and that symptom hasn’t gone away,” he wrote.

Doctors suspect the dissection—where the artery wall tears, releasing a clot that travels to the brain—may have resulted from physical trauma, though Kangas said he had no memory of such an incident. He was initially told his symptoms might be muscle-related.

Kangas, who is seeking treatment in Kokkola, may be transferred to Oulu University Hospital for further care. In his post, he joked about missing parliamentary sessions, including a vote on food market legislation, and referenced his earlier decision not to seek re-election.

A first-term MP from Sievi, Northern Ostrobothnia, Kangas previously cited the strain of balancing entrepreneurship, farming, and political work as his reason for leaving politics.