Finland

Finland's center-right National Coalition Party, headed by Petteri Orpo, eked out a narrow victory over a populist party. Sanna Marin's party fell to third ...

This is clear." Finnish women defended her right to cut loose, posting their own videos of dancing and drinking across social media. "We cannot accept this terrible war. And Marin's party, the center-left Social Democrats (SDP), garnered just 19.9%. More than 2,400 candidates across 22 parties ran for a seat in Finland's parliament, [according to a tally by the Associated Press.](https://apnews.com/article/finland-parliamentary-election-sanna-marin-494e6d181a21e6f4cda00524e2468e4a)

HELSINKI — Finland's main conservative party claimed victory in a parliamentary election Sunday in an extremely tight three-way race in which right-wing ...

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'We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters,' says alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg.

State Department in Brussels on Tuesday” before the start of NATO foreign ministers’ session. The alliance “remains vigilant, we monitor very closely what Russia does,” he said. Her Social Democrats finished third, with the center-right National Coalition Party coming out on top. “This is an historic week,” the NATO chief told reporters. “We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters,” Stoltenberg said, adding: “It will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole.” “Tomorrow, we will welcome Finland as the 31st member of NATO, making Finland safer and our alliance stronger.”

The country, which shares a border with Russia, applied to join the military alliance in the wake of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine last year.

"It is a historic moment for us. "We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at NATO headquarters. [Turkey](https://news.sky.com/topic/turkey-5859) was the last of NATO's 30 members to accept Finland's application - which ends the country's decades of military non-alignment. [Russia](https://news.sky.com/topic/russia-5803), applied to join the military alliance in the wake of [Vladimir Putin's](https://news.sky.com/topic/vladimir-putin-5972) invasion of [Ukraine](https://news.sky.com/topic/ukraine-6556) last year. "In the event that the forces and resources of other NATO members are deployed in Finland, we will take additional steps to reliably ensure Russia's military security." The country, which shares a border with Russia, applied to join the military alliance in the wake of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine last year.

Finland will officially become a member of the NATO military alliance tomorrow, the Finnish president's office said.

"We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at NATO headquarters. It will be a good day for Finland's security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole," Mr Stoltenberg said. "Tomorrow we will welcome Finland as the 31st member of NATO making Finland safer and our alliance stronger," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels, hailing the move as "historic".

Russia says it will respond to Finland becoming a member by bolstering its defences if needed.

Sweden is as close as it can come as a full-fledged member,” Mr Stoltenberg said. Nato must agree unanimously for new members to join. “It is a historic moment for us.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Finland will become the 31st member of the military alliance on Tuesday. Stoltenberg said that Turkey, the last ...

“In case of deployment of forces of other NATO members on the territory of Finland, we will take addition steps to ensure Russia’s military security.” “We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region.” “This is a historic week,” Stoltenberg told reporters on the eve of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. The former Norwegian prime minister said that on Tuesday afternoon, “we will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters. Stoltenberg said he would then invite Finland to do the same. [Turkey, the last country](/article/nato-finland-turkey-24e91f6d5141e727872b91b854d5702c) to have ratified Finland’s membership, will hand its official texts to U.S.

A flag-raising ceremony to add the Finnish flag to those of the other members will take place at Nato headquarters at on Tuesday afternoon.

Mr Stoltenberg said he would then invite Finland to do the same. The former Norwegian prime minister said that on Tuesday afternoon, “we will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the Nato headquarters. Nato must agree unanimously for new members to join. “Sweden is not left alone. “It is a historic moment for us. Mr Stoltenberg said that Turkey, the last country to have ratified Finland’s membership, will hand its official texts to US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Tuesday as Nato foreign ministers gather in Brussels.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin's hopes for reelection were dashed after Finland's main conservative party claimed victory in parliamentary elections.

NCP is open to cooperation with The Finns as the two parties largely share view on developing Finland’s economy though have differences in climate policies and EU issues. With the top three parties each getting around 20% of the vote, no party is in position to form a government alone. The government will replace the center-left Cabinet by Marin, a highly popular prime minister at home and abroad since 2019. The center-right National Coalition Party (NCP) claimed victory with all of the votes counted, coming out on top at 20.8%. We build up NATO-Finland, and we fix our economy. “We cannot accept this terrible war.

Finland will officially become a member of the military alliance on Tuesday (4 April) as foreign ministers gather for their meeting in Brussels, ...

“We should not leave the impression Sweden is left alone”, the secretary-general said about it already participating in most of the Alliance’s meetings. “All allies agree that Sweden’s accession will have to be completed quickly”, Stoltenberg said. “They’ve trained and built a large army and maintained a high level of readiness”. “We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at NATO headquarters. Then, he will “notify Finland”. Finland and Sweden jointly applied for NATO membership in May 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Finland will deposit its accession documents to the United States government at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, April 4th, ahead of the NATO foreign ...

Overall, Finland's accession to NATO is a significant development for the country and the region. As a member of NATO, Finland will have access to the alliance's defense capabilities, intelligence, and resources. However, the government has emphasized that Finland will remain an independent and non-aligned country, and that joining NATO is a natural step in ensuring its security and defense.

Moscow threatens to bolster border defences if western military alliance deploys troops inside Finland.

“In case of deployment of forces of other Nato members on the territory of Finland, we will take addition steps to ensure Russia’s military security.” “We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region.” It will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security, and for Nato as a whole.” “From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance.” He said he hoped Stoltenberg said he would then invite Finland to do the same. “It is a historic moment for us.

Editorial: Defeat for the social democrats and a charismatic leader is a result that reverberates beyond the country's borders.

Following the [election](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-63029909) of Giorgia Meloni as Italy’s prime minister, and events in Sweden, a “blue‑black” coalition in Finland would further normalise far‑right positions on issues such as climate targets and migration policy. [accession](https://news.sky.com/story/finland-to-officially-join-nato-on-tuesday-12849033) to Nato and fierce support for Ukraine – both policies influenced by a 805-mile eastern border with Russia – little will now change, whatever the makeup of the new government. Those who fear the general hardening of a “Fortress Europe” mentality and a growing pattern of evasion on climate goals must hope that he does. Having assumed leadership of a coalition in which all five parties were led by women, she was accomplished in her handling of the Covid pandemic and the crisis that followed Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. [Finnish election](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/02/sanna-marin-finland-election-sdp-social-democratic-national-coalition) turned out to be an unwelcome repeat episode of Nordic noir. Though Ms Marin’s Social Democratic party actually improved its vote share, it narrowly came in third behind moderate conservatives and the radical right in what was a photo-finish.

Petteri Orpo, leader of the centre-right National Coalition party, expected to become prime minister.

“We understand Nato means obligations and Finland will be pushing for broader burden-sharing for all countries in the region.” Finland already meets key Nato rules, spending 2.03 per cent of its gross domestic product on security and defence. Its rise in support and gain of three seats was not enough to compensate for coalition allies’ losses. Democracy has spoken,” said the 37-year-old to her supporters. “This is a historic week,” said Jens Stoltenberg, Nato secretary general. “Finland is not going to set limits on Nato membership in terms of potential Nato presence on Finnish soil,” said Mr Vanhanen, research fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

Finland's probable new conservative prime minister, Petteri Orpo, will this week start exploring coalition options after a narrow election win that shifted ...

The cost of living is also expected to be a key issue among voters in Spanish and Polish elections later this year. “It is clear that if a right-leaning coalition is achieved, there will be some very disappointed people among Finns party voters,” the paper said. Support for Ukraine in Finland - which shares a 1,300km (805-mile) border with Russia – is almost universal, and Orpo made a point on Sunday night of saying Helsinki would continue to stand by Kyiv during his tenure. “It’s not impossible, but the Social Democrats will have to eat humble pie.” “Both have red lines that will be tough to reconcile,” said Dr Emilia Palonen, a political scientist at the University of Helsinki. The Finns party, too, may think twice about joining a government coalition if it means abandoning some of its key election pledges. The biggest party traditionally gets the first chance to form a government, and since the 1990s has always claimed the prime minister’s office. The NCP backs selective, work-based immigration to help fill job vacancies and boost growth. Orpo, 53 and an MP since 2007, will later this week send a questionnaire to all party leaders asking for their positions on key policy issues before beginning talks with those seen as the most probable partners. It was a win,” Orpo told cheering supporters in Helsinki late on Sunday night, adding that the result gave the NCP “a strong mandate” to pursue its key policies of “fixing our economy, boosting growth, and creating new jobs”. He is thought likely to turn first to the Finns, whose leader, Riikka Purra, hailed her party’s “best election result ever”. However, the NCP increased its number of MPs by 10, while the Finns party, which back spending cuts but campaigned mainly against non-EU immigration, added seven more.

Finland to become 31st member of world's biggest military alliance, prompting a warning from Russia. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a ...

“In case of deployment of forces of other NATO members on the territory of Finland, we will take addition steps to ensure Russia’s military security.” Turkey has sought guarantees and assurances from the two countries, notably on tackling groups it considers “terrorist” organisations. The former Norwegian prime minister said that on Tuesday afternoon that “we will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters. “From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance.” We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region.” Stoltenberg said he would then invite Finland to do the same.

Does an international post await Finland's outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin after her election loss? What explains the nationalist party's record score?

And are the nationalists reliable partners for a government coalition? They can sense what the emerging concerns are," Jutila said. A "blue-red" government with SDP and the National Coalition -- not uncommon in Finland -- would be easier for smaller parties to join. While SDP is a "tried and tested" partner, the Finns Party could be "unpredictable," Majander said, noting that its voter base could have a hard time accepting budget austerity. What explains the nationalist party's record score? While the Finns Party is closer to the centrer-right when it comes to economics — the most important election issue for Orpo — allying with the far-right would make it harder to find other parties to build a majority.