Finland votes in tight election

Finland's 4.3m voters are going to the polls, in an election which the centre-left governing coalition is expected to win.

However it is unclear whether Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen will remain in office for a second four-year term. His Centre party has a narrow lead in opinion surveys over its main partner, the Social Democrats. The centre-right National Coalition, the main opposition party, is expected to make gains but not to win power.

The BBC's Julian Isherwood in the region says the main interest in the election will be whether Mr Vanhanen of Centre manages to meet off a challenge from his Social Democratic Finance Minister Eero Heinaluoma.

The largest party in the polls traditionally forms a parliamentary majority and names the prime minister.

The main issues in the election campaign have been welfare and the level of further tax cuts that the government wants to introduce. Care for the elderly has been a major issue since Finland has one of Europe's most rapidly ageing populations.

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Who did you vote for, Golle?

Neither of the big parties...

I seriously doupt that anything major is changed after these elections. Kokoomus (the National coalition party, which is however a true right wing party, not and centre-right as BBC described) will few extra seats but not enough to beat the SDP (social democrates) and Keskusta (centre). I'm more interested of the upcomming government depates, is the SDP-Keskusta coalition still viable or is the dreaded right-wing govenrment (Kokoomus and keskusta) next in turn? Wheter its the right-wing coalition or the centre (Sdp and keskusta) the real difference aren't so big, only some minor economical priorities will change. Those may turn out to be big issues as we are in somewhat the same hyper-economical race as in the late 80's...back then a right-wing govenrment was formed and the hype blew up and heavy economical depression stroke us...

Gollevainen said:

Neither of the big parties...

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Won't change your principles to try to vote in a winner, eh?

Those may turn out to be big issues as we are in somewhat the same hyper-economical race as in the late 80's...back then a right-wing govenrment was formed and the hype blew up and heavy economical depression stroke us...

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How do the main parties differ on economic policy?

Won't change your principles to try to vote in a winner, eh?

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No, Im still stuck with the 1918 civil war front-lines

How do the main parties differ on economic policy?

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well the Coalition party wants to crible and destroy the nordic-welfare model as well as focus more on seperate employment agreements between the workers and employeers than the two-year round national work-rigth/wage-raise negotiations between the labour union and employeers union...

The central party wants to gain as much possiple EU agricultural benefits as they can in expense of all other... And the SDP is pretty much par with the UK labour party, exept we get rid of our own "Blair" several years ago

Golle, we will be expecting updates as the election results come in, along with your personal analysis of the full result!

well the first case scenario went trough, the Rigth Wing won...the SDP lost. Also, despite good gallub results, the left-union (former communist) also lost and smaller populist party won (thougth marginally)

But nothing really suprising, I and others had anticipated this result. The Central party got 51 seats, the Rigth-wing Coaliton 50 seat and the Social Democratic Party got 45...Our constitution gives the group gaining most seats a change to begun government negotations and those are that really counts. Thougth rigth-wing won, the disputes between them and central party are still lot passionated ones, than their boths disputes between the Social democratics, so rigth-wing/central government migth not come, but then again, the rigth wing won so hugely that Its hard to bypass.

If rigth-wing government would emmerge, it would mean hard times to us poorer people in Finland It would mean more liberal but also irresponsiple economical policy will follow and with this allready over-heated economy sondition sings of economical depression are in the air, just as they were in last time we had rigth-wing gov. in 1990....and if depression will emmerge, it means that Once I graduate as civil engineer, my field would take the biggest blow as consequence

How can the right-coalition have won if the central party got more seats than them? Surely it's the centre party that decides who it forms a government with. Or are you suggesting they'll go with the right-coalition?

well in here we say that the one improving its seat numbers is the one who won....the central party lost two seats while the rigth wing gained ten....

Gollevainen said:

well in here we say that the one improving its seat numbers is the one who won....the central party lost two seats while the rigth wing gained ten....

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That's a little.....weird. Do most people agree with that? I could understand if it was a dead-heat, but if one party still has more seats it should be allowed to try to form a government in my book.

The Central party won theoretically, they had 1 seat more than the right wing party. The central party lost 2 seat and tough remained the biggest pary, but with very small marginal. The right wing party was prior to this elections the third largest party but now is almoust equal to the centre so thus it was the biggest winner in this elections...

The right-wing govenment will merge if the central party and the right-wing party decides to go to coalition and form the govenrment. The central party is "central" only by its name, in reality its more of agral-right party. Its tradditional party to the land owners and farmers. It's politicis, tough perhaps little moderate is still right-wing politics and very conservative.