Finland Times

The new three-party ruling coalition of Finland announced the allocation of ministerial posts of the incoming government on Wednesday.

Juha Sipilä, the chair of the Suomen Keskusta (Centre Party) will be the Prime Minister of the three-party alliance government while outgoing Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, chairman,Chair of  Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party) will take over as Minister of Finance and the chair of the Perussuomalaiset (Finns Party) Timo Soini as the minister of Foreign Affairs.

The allocations came as a surprise as previous predictions anticipated a different outcome. In the forecast made by  media, Timo Soini was expected to handle the finance portfolio, and Alexander Stubb, foreign affairs.

   

  The new cabinet will have a total of 14 ministers, three less than the current government. Efficiency was given as the main reason for the downsizing.

     Apart from the post of Prime Minister, the Center Party will also have the ministerial posts of Economic Affairs, Environment, Transport, Family and Basic Social Security, Agriculture and Forestry, and Municipalities and Reforms.

     According to the preliminary agreement, the Finns Party will take the ministerial posts of Foreign Affairs, Justice and Labor, Defense, and Social Affairs and Health.

     The National Coalition Party will take the posts of Finance, Education and Culture, Interior, as well as Foreign Trade and International Development.

     The names of the other cabinet members will be unveiled later this week.

    

The announcement came after a three-week long governmental formation talk, which started at the beginning of May and concluded on Tuesday.

     The negotiators also reached an agreement on a new governmental program to be fulfilled during the next four years. The program was partially unveiled at the press conference on Wednesday.

     The would-be Prime Minister Sipilä said Finland will have to cut six billion euros public spending by 2021, and it will be achieved by reducing social benefits, increasing service charges, cutting education and business supports.

     At the same time, the new government will invest 1.6 billion euros in infrastructure spending, in order to stimulate the stagnant economy.

     Regarding foreign and security policies, Timo Soini, the future Minister for Foreign Affairs, said that Finland is going to maintain good relations with Russia while retain the possibility to apply for the membership of the defense alliance NATO.

     The governmental program will be submitted to party boards for approval before the government is officially formed.