Finland’s outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) formally submitted a resignation letter on behalf of her administration to President Sauli Niinistö on Thursday morning.
“Dear President of the Republic, I am asking you to release me and the rest of the government from our duties,” Marin said at Mäntyniemi, the president’s official residence in Helsinki.
Accepting the resignation, Niinistö then formally requested ministers to continue to work as a caretaker government until the incoming government is formed.
As he accepted the resignation, the president thanked Marin and her government for their efforts during an exceptional time. Her term as PM began just before the Covid-19 crisis, continued as Russia invaded Ukraine and came to a close as Finland formally joined Nato.
Caretaker government
After elections, outgoing administrations generally continue as caretaker governments, but they must enjoy the confidence of Parliament, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s office.
“After the election, the position of the government corresponds in practice to that of a caretaker government even before its resignation, because the government was formed with the support of the previous Parliament and it was the previous Parliament that elected the Prime Minister,” the office explained in a press release.
In general, caretaker governments only carry out routine duties and are limited to attending urgent matters that cannot be left unaddressed until the next government is in place, the office said.
Petteri Orpo, leader of the election-winning National Coalition Party, will be appointed as the leader of coalition government formation talks on Friday, 14 April.
The two parties that trailed behind the NCP in Sunday’s vote, the Finns Party and the SDP, were scheduled to hold respective party meetings on Thursday afternoon.
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