The last dance? Finland’s Sanna Marin faces struggle for reelection 

TAMPERE, Finland – Sanna Marin, one of the brightest stars on the European left, has two months to save her job.

This month, the Finnish prime minister launched his Social Democrats’ re-election campaign ahead of the April 2 election, with his party trailing the centre-right National Coalition party led by challenger Petteri Orpo. opinion polls,

after a Magical After a laser show and a performance by a drumming group, Marin took the stage to pledge to invest in education, employment and welfare provision.

“We are not going to balance public spending or maintain a healthy society through cuts,” he said. “This is the bitter medicine of the political right and it doesn’t work.”

Since she took over as premier from misfiring predecessor Antti Rinne, Marin has emerged as a bright light on the European left at a time when it is in dire need of new energy.

German Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz appears increasingly entrenched, while Sweden’s centre-left leader Magdalena Andersson is voted out of power in an election in September. Mette Frederiksen of Denmark remains in position by swinging sharply to the right.

On the streets of Marin’s hometown of Tampere, an industrial hub in Finland’s southwest where she still sits on the city council, many voters said they think highly of the prime minister.

Asked to review his performance, the word “competent” was often used, with his political style being labeled “direct” and “fresh”.

In a central clothing store not unlike where Marin himself worked before entering politics, 19-year-old Ira Eklund said that Marin had faced a “bumpy ride” as prime minister, Both managed the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. ,

But Marin’s rise from cashier to prime minister in just a few years was impressive, Eklund said.

“I think it’s amazing that she went from where I’m standing, to leading the country,” she said. “It shows what kind of career change you can make if you want to do it.”

Nevertheless, Eklund and many other voters on their way to shop or work in Tampere were also concerned about the way Finland is run by Marin and the Social Democrats, especially the way they have overseen an increase in public debt. .

The latest official data showed that general government debt as a share of Finland’s economic output rose to 70.9 percent in the third quarter. quarter In the same 68.7 percent to 2022 quarter compared to the previous year, and this increase has already proved to be a major campaign issue.

Leader of the Opposition Orpo recently suggested That mounting debt risks undermining Finnish welfare provision and said the country “needs to wake up to what is government apathy towards debt.”

At the launch of his campaign, Marin Said Closing “tax loopholes” will ensure that the economy remains healthy. This may include higher taxes on capital and inheritance.

“A strong society can be built only on strong growth and high employment,” he said.

edge of opposition

Orpo’s party is currently in the lead in opinion polls Election: His NCP is supported by 22 percent of voters with the Social Democrats and the Far South Finns party both at 19 percent.

But experts are not ruling out a return of the Social Democrats in the coming weeks with Marin – consistently rated in polls as the most popular prime ministerial candidate – an asset.

“I think it’s fair to say she is lifting her party,” said Tivo Teiveinen, a political scientist at the University of Helsinki. “The Social Democrats have traditionally had an image as a party for older voters, but research shows that Marin has been able to attract more young voters.”

For many Finns outside Tampere, their first sight of Marin was in a feisty YouTube video from 2016 of the Tampere city council, which featured her as the chair – making overly long statements about transport policy to colleagues Closing with confidence.

She became Minister of Transport under Rinne, and when she resigned following a scandal in the postal service, she became Finland’s youngest leader at age 34.

She has tried to portray herself as a firm and professional political operative who is willing to listen to allies and opponents, but who can also make tough decisions.

“I don’t want conflict and I strive for compromise and joint solutions,” she told The A.V. documentary in 2021 by Finnish national broadcaster Yale. “But if the talks don’t succeed, I can be decisive and decide what we should do.”

He declined an interview request for this article.

Social Democrats in Brussels are likely to keep their eyes on the elections in Finland. If Marin loses, she could be seen as an asset to the S&D group, troubled by the Qatargate corruption scandal. there are also speculations Cyclone that she could be presented as the group’s candidate for the presidency of the European Commission.

local star

Although born in Helsinki, Marin grew up in Tampere, attending a school in nearby Pirakkale before studying administrative sciences at the city’s university.

He is such a star in Tampere, recently a picture of him has been hung in a prominent place in the city hall.

Before a recent evening ice hockey match featuring local club Ilves, which Marin supports, fans largely supported their hometown leader. The barista who operates the coffee stand at the stadium said she felt Marin got the big calls right, opting for an early and strict lockdown in the face of COVID and an increasingly tense standoff in NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine. -Demonstrated front joining.

The barista said she had never seen Marin at an Ilwes game, although the prime minister had posted pictures of himself at an international hockey match on social media last year. Her Instagram account with over a million followers has long been a highly polished part of her public relations efforts, with shots of her at rock festivals and red carpet events regularly reaching a wide audience.

However, her online outreach misfired last year when fellow guests at a house party posted online what was apparently supposed to be a private video of her singing and dancing.

Marin acknowledged that Finns “didn’t want to see” such videos, but said they were part of a “joyful” life.

Experts said video that made headlines around the worldHer standing in Finland had not radically changed: those who had already supported Marin continued to support her, while those who opposed her also ditched her.

In Tampere, shop assistant Eklund said Marin is still seen as a woman in the city who lived life like any other resident, learning from what she learned at the center of power. Helsinki.

Eklund said she was not sure which issues would affect her vote, or whether Marin had done enough to improve the lives of Tampere’s regular voters.

“She definitely knows what it’s like to be in our shoes,” Eklund said. “But could she have done more with that knowledge? Maybe.”