Finland’s far right to enter government with conservatives

A coalition of four parties, including the anti-immigration Finns Party, will form Finland’s new government, according to conservative leader Petteri Orpo.

“All the issues have been resolved,” said Orpo late Thursday, according to Finnish public broadcaster Yle, adding that the coalition’s program and the government’s composition would be announced at a press conference Friday afternoon.

Orpo, as the head of the center-right National Coalition Party (NCP) which won the last general election without securing an outright parliamentary majority, is expected to be designated prime minister.

The new, right-wing coalition government is supported by the NCP, the Finns Party, the Swedish People’s Party and the Christian Democrats, which together hold a majority of 108 out of the Finnish parliament’s 200 seats.

The negotiations to form a coalition lasted 74 days, the second-longest in Finland’s history.

After four years of government leadership from the Social Democrats — mostly under outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin — Finland will make a sharp move to the conservatives, under what is set to be “probably the most right-wing government” on economic policy in the country’s history for nearly 80 years, according to Yle.