Vote of confidence: New elections won’t help Finland

The Finnish government led by Prime Minister Alexander Stubb will face a confidence vote on Friday

Since his government has only a razor-thin majority in parliament there is a real risk that it could be toppled by the vote.

This scenario wouldn’t improve Finland’s situation, the liberal daily Kaleva criticises:

“The vote of confidence prompted by the negative economic trend and rising unemployment may well be justified, but the government alone is not to blame for the current state of affairs. Economic growth is lagging all over the EU. And bringing down the government is not a sensible solution to Finland’s economic problems; on the contrary, snap elections will only deepen the political chaos and hinder decision-making. Instead of charging around like a bull in a china shop the opposition should focus on developing an economic policy concept before the parliamentary elections on April 19, 2015.”