The government led by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) won a vote of confidence in Parliament on Wednesday afternoon.
The vote followed an interpellation over the labour market situation, which was submitted by three left-leaning opposition parties: the Social Democrats, the Left Alliance and the Greens. The second-largest opposition party, the Centre, did not join the challenge; nor did the one-man Movement Now. Its sole MP, Hjallis Harkimo, cast an empty ballot.
The government received the chamber’s confidence by a margin of 89–73, with 36 MPs absent.
The four government parties hold 109 seats in the 200-seat legislature.
Ministers cite Finland’s competitiveness
The interpellation was debated in Parliament on Tuesday. The opposition parties accused the government of causing labour market chaos through its unpopular reform plans and refusing to hold genuine negotiations with labour market organisations.
In response, cabinet ministers argued that the moves are necessary to strengthen Finland’s competitiveness. The government further countered that the opposition has not offered any alternatives for balancing the public finances and boosting the flexibility of the labour market.
Orpo’s right-wing coalition took office about eight months ago after his NCP and the nationalist Finns Party won the two largest blocs of seats in last spring’s parliamentary election. Together, they hold close to half of the seats in the legislature.
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