Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen will spend Monday
preparing to form a new coalition government after his Center Party
won Sunday's parliamentary election.
The ruling Center Party won the election with 23.1 percent of
the total votes. With 51 seats in the 200-member parliament it
remains the largest party in the country.
Government negotiations get under way next week. In line with
tradition, the largest party is offered the post of prime minister
and forms a new government anmd Vanhanen will lead the cabinet for
a new four-year term.
Vanhanen told reporters that his cabinet would probably include
two junior partners from the five smaller parties who won seats in
the parliament. But he said "Discussions will be very difficult...
I think it is good if the government has at least 115 to 120 seats
in the parliament."
Parliamentary groups will announce on March 29 who will head the
official negotiations, with a new government expected to be formed
in mid-April.
The new coalition was to push through difficult nationwide pay
talks, to decide on limiting presidential powers and to outline the
future of the non-aligned Nordic country's security policy.
As the opposition Conservative Party made strong gains in the
election, it could have an impact on the formation of the next
government. The Conservative Party could possibly replace the
Social Democrats as the Center Party's main coalition partner.
(Xinhua News Agency March 19, 2007 )
