Finns, tired of austerity, go to the polls

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Halla-aho campaigns for the parliamentary elections in Tuusula, Finland. — Reuters photo31

HELSINKI: Finland voted Sunday in a general election in which the Social Democratic Party appeared set to topple the centre-right government after four years of spending cuts, with the far-right predicted to make large gains.

The left-wing social democrats lead Finland’s two main opinion polls with about 19 per cent of the vote, having campaigned against the austerity policies of Centre Party Prime Minister Juha Sipila and his Finance Minister Petteri Orpo — leader of the conservative National Coalition Party.

But the far-right Finns Party, led by hardline MEP Jussi Halla-aho, has seen a surge in support in recent months during an anti-immigration dominated campaign, urging people to “Vote for some borders”.

Polls show the party ending up in second or third place, meaning it could play a significant role in the next government, which in Finland is typically a coalition of three or four parties.

As polling stations opened at 900am, Helsinki was typically quiet.

At the Normaalilyseo high school in the city centre, only a trio of three young women were there as polling opened.

As required by Finnish law, election officials asked the first voter to confirm the ballot box was empty before it was locked and voting could begin.

A record 1.5 million Finns, over a third of the electorate, had already cast their ballots during a week of advance voting earlier this month.

The opposition Social Democratic Party has promised to address widespread public concern that public spending was cut too harshly in recent years as the economy struggled to emerge from the recession that followed the 2008 financial crash.

Cutbacks to Finland’s prized education system drew particular criticism from MPs on all sides.

“People are saying enough is enough with some of the cuts,” political commentator Sini Korpinen told AFP.

Polls close at 8.00pm with all votes expected to be counted by midnight. — AFP