Purra seeks premiership and leaves coalition options open

Finns Party leader Riikka Purra says she wants to become prime minister after next spring’s parliamentary election and is prepared to join a government with any party, Yle reports. The National Coalition Party, Christian Democrats and Greens also held parliamentary group summer meetings on Tuesday, but none unveiled new spending cut lists.

“We are ready to enter government even with moon men if the Finns Party’s policies can be implemented through it,” Purra said.

Purra said the Finns Party intends to remain in the next government and continue its current immigration policy. The Social Democratic Party said last week that it could not join the same government as the Finns Party.

The National Coalition Party has also said it is open to all government combinations. “As a principle, we have kept our doors open. Of course, our goal is to be the leading party in the election,” parliamentary group chair Jukka Kopra said.

Kopra did not rule out the possibility that the party could be the second-largest government party in some coalition.

In Yle’s latest support survey, the National Coalition Party was in second place with 17 per cent support, while the Finns Party was third with 15.6 per cent. Only 2 per cent of respondents supported continuing with the current government coalition after next spring’s election.

Parties reject proposed defence tax

The National Coalition Party and the Finns Party both oppose a defence tax being prepared by the Social Democratic Party, according to Ilta-Sanomat. The proposed tax is intended to help balance public finances.

Finns Party parliamentary group chair Jani Mäkelä also strongly criticised the National Coalition Party over the Garden Helsinki proposal, accusing it of misleading the Finns Party.

No new savings plans published

National Coalition Party chair and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said his party plans to adjust public finances by around eight billion euros during the next parliamentary term through direct spending cuts, without tax increases. He did not specify where the cuts would be made.

The Finns Party will publish its own list of savings and tax increases in the autumn. “The Finns Party will not propose measures that increase taxation on work or entrepreneurship,” Purra said.

Christian Democrat chair Sari Essayah said her party also does not want to raise taxes. It would cover most of the eight to 11 billion euros in planned adjustments through spending cuts and structural reforms, but did not publish a detailed cut list.

Greens leave tax increases on the table

Green parliamentary group deputy chair Saara Hyrkkö did not rule out possible tax increases. She criticised the National Coalition Party’s plans for spending cuts and accused the government of increasing child poverty among families with children.

“The National Coalition Party’s idea of making eight billion euros in direct cuts is absurd,” Hyrkkö said.

The Greens would propose changes to child benefits, including no longer counting child benefit as income when calculating social assistance. The party would also increase the single-parent supplement to child benefit and restore the exempt portions of unemployment and housing benefits.

The summer meetings continue on Wednesday. In addition to the National Coalition Party, Greens, Finns Party and Christian Democrats, the Social Democratic Party will meet in Oulu and the Left Alliance in Jyväskylä.