Finland Times

 

Expelled Vice-President of Finns Party Sebastian Tynkkynen. File Photo – Lehtikuva.

The Perussuomalaiset (Finns Party) expelled one of its vice chairmen, Sebastian Tynkkynen, reported the Suomen Uutiset, the party’s online publication on Monday.

 

The expulsion decision of the third vice chair was made by the party’s board on October 23, said the report.

 

The party board said Tynkkynen was dismissed from the party because he had published without consent the names of supporters who had called for the party to convene to reassess its position in the government. 

 

The names of the supporters were published in an online petition.

 

According to the party’s board, this action breached the rights of the party members.

 

The Perussuomalaiset board also said they had requested Tynkkynen for clarification on his handling of the members’ personal information. The board during a meeting on Friday examined Tynkkynen’s written reply but deemed the response insufficient. As a result, the board decided unanimously to dismiss Tynkkynen’s party membership.

 

The Suomen Uutiset said the board considered Tynkkynen’s position of responsibility as particularly reprehensible.

 

Chairman of the Finns Party, Timo Soini. File Photo – Lehtikuva.

The chairman of the party, Timo Soini said the expulsion of Tynkkynen from the party was in full conformity with the laws and regulations. 

 

Soini said he was not going to predict what remains to be the future of Tynkkynen in the party board.

 

Tynkkynen’s dismissal from the party is problematic, because a member of the party’s board must be a member of the party.

 

The expelled third vice chair did not attend the party board gathering since he was in Iceland.

 

In a video posted on his Facebook account on Sunday night, Tynkkynen said he was informed about his dismissal via email.

 

“No one from the party board called or told me. I have been away from the party for three days, but I did not know anything,” Tynkkynen said in the video message.

 

Tynkkynen had earlier called the party’s board, party’s council and the party’s parliamentary group to convene in order to decide whether the Finns Party will continue to be part of the current coalition government. 

 

The Finns Party vice chair believes it is necessary for the party to re-evaluate its position in the government, because the party’s partners in the government have breached the programme agreed together.

 

In a meeting held two weeks ago, the party board voted 11-2 against holding a general meeting.