Finland Vote Likely to Keep Premier in Power
Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen looked set to cling to power Monday after his Social Democrats, or SSDP, came from behind to snatch a narrow election victory.
President Martti Ahtisaari is expected to formally ask Lipponen to construct a fresh majority when the new parliament opens next week, officials said.
The SSDP lost 12 seats in Sunday’s election, one of the worst results in its history, feeling the impact from a cronyism scandal and tough economic reforms it co-sponsored to help Finland join Europe’s economic and monetary union.
A tense election night saw the SSDP take a roller-coaster ride from defeat to bittersweet victory after early returns put the opposition Finnish Center party ahead.
Center leader Esko Aho’s early triumphant statement that the winds of change were blowing rang hollow, as final results showed the Center party will get 48 seats in the 200-member parliament compared with 51 for the SSDP.
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