The new government of Finland has been announced, with the Christian Democrats (KD’s) taking ministerial positions in the new coalition. After talks that lasted 74 days—the second-longest negotiations in Finland’s history—the government will be led by the centre-right National Coalition Party, which came in first place in April’s general election.
Best known for its former leader and current MP, Päivi Räsänen, who continues to face a “hate crime” prosecution on 22-24 August 2023 for tweeting biblically-based views about marriage and sexuality, the current leader of the Finnish Christian Democrats is Sari Essayah MP.
“The voice of reason is heard in the government program and KD's fingerprint is visible," Essayah told party representatives about the agreement. "We will fix Finland with bold decisions, and we will do it responsibly”, she said.
Petteri Orpo of the National Coalition Party becomes Finland’s new prime minister, who will be supported by the NCP, the Finns Party, the minority-language Swedish People’s Party, and the Christian Democrats. The four-party coalition holds 108 of Finland’s 200-seat unicameral parliament.
According to the KDs, the Christian Democrats will have 1.5 ministerial posts in the new coalition, with Sari Essayah taking responsibility for agriculture and forestry. The other post of Minister for Sport will be taken by the Swedish People's Party of Finland for two years, with a Christian Democrat taking over after that.
In her speech at the announcement of the coalition agreement, Essayah promised the new government will work for a child-friendly society:
“Child benefits and home care support will not be cut - on the contrary - the livelihood of families with children will be improved by increasing child benefits in families with children under three years of age and in families with many children”, she said.
The statement also pledged increases for single parents and care allowances for private care support. “These measures also aim to improve the birth rate”, she added.
“Although we have to make painful decisions to balance the economy, we have also looked for ways to protect the most vulnerable from austerity measures” Essayah continued.
“Kristillisdemokraatit wants to emphasize the voice of the third sector, churches and organizations as part of an active society. This is also reflected in the government program”, she concluded.
