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Tue, 24 Jun, 2014 12:06:41 AM FTimes-STT Report, June 24  The newly elected Prime Minister Alexander Stubb. Photo – Lehtikuva. The newly elected chair of the ruling Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party), Alexander Stubb was elected the prime minister of the country by the parliament on Monday.
A total of 98 lawmakers cast votes in favour of Stubb while 76 lawmakers opposed his appointment.
President Sauli Niinistö will formally appoint the new government on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, the new premier named three new faces in his new-look cabinet. Petteri Orpo, the chair of the Kokoomus parliamentary group was named the minister of Agriculture and Forestry.
Laura Räty took over the Social Affairs and Health docket previously held by Paula Risikko and Lenita Toivakka was named the new minister of European Affairs and Foreign Trade.
The Vihreä Liito (Green League) hierarchy together with the Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue (Social Democratic Party of Finland) leadership unanimously approved Stubb’s government programme.
Antti Rinne, the chair of the Social Democrats conceded that it was not possible to reverse the proposed freeze on pension indices.
The negotiation was surprisingly positive according to SDP’s council chair Tarja Filatov. “A job-generating growth package was bigger than I could think of,” said Filatov, adding that she was also impressed with the tax-compensation scheme on child benefit cuts.
Ville Niinistö, the chair of the Green League believes that the programme is geared toward building a low-carbon Finland and will promote employment in the near future.
Decisions made on the transport sector and tax change on low-income families with children were important to the Greens.
The chair of the Greens parliamentary group, Outi Alanko-Kahiluoto said the government programme promises to promote self-employment and small-scale entrepreneurs.
The Suomen Kristillisdemokraatit (Christian Democrats of Finland) and the Suomen Ruotsalainen Kansanpuolue (Swedish People’s Party of Finland) also unanimously endorsed the government programme.
On June 14, Alexander Stubb was elected party chair by delegates of the Kokoomus.
Earlier, on April 5, the former prime minister, Jyrki Katainen announced that he was going to end his 10-year leadership of the Kokoomus in June. He also announced that he would quit as the head of the government simultaneously.
Katainen officially stepped down as prime minister in mid-June and was appointed as Finland’s interim EU Commissioner on June 18.
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