Helsinki (EFE).- The Finnish Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, announced this Wednesday her resignation as president of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), after not having been able to revalidate the victory in the parliamentary elections held last Sunday.
Marin will continue in his position until the SDP, which fell from first to third in those elections behind the conservatives and the extreme right, chooses his successor next September.
The Social Democratic leader told the Finnish media that, despite the defeat, she is satisfied with the result achieved by the SDP in these elections, since it managed to increase its number of seats.
Slightly moved, she stated that these three long years at the helm of the Government have been hard on her and have tested her own capacity for resistance.
“These have been exceptionally difficult years and tough times. With this electoral result, I feel that I have the opportunity to turn the page in my own life, ”he told the press.
She will continue to be a deputy and the next Executive will negotiate with the conservatives
Marin, who aspired to be re-elected as prime minister, will continue her political career as a deputy, although before that she will lead her party during negotiations with the conservatives for the formation of the next coalition executive.
“The SDP is prepared to rule. We are tough negotiators, but also a cooperative party that has been in government many times in Finnish history,” he stated.
She also made it clear that, in the event that the SDP is in the next Executive, she does not aspire to hold any ministerial position.
Asked what she believes her legacy is, Marin said the SDP “is more united than ever” and she is confident that it will continue to be so after her resignation.
The Social Democratic Party obtained 19.9% of the votes in the elections last Sunday, 2.2 points more than in the previous elections, and managed to increase its number of deputies in the Eduskunta (Parliament) from 40 to 43.
Although this result relegates the SDP to third place, behind the conservative Kokoomus party and the far-right True Finns party, it is the first time in two decades that the prime minister’s party has gained support after the end of his term.
The conservative leader, Petteri Orpo, plans to start negotiations next week to form a government with all the parties with parliamentary representation, to try to achieve a coalition with a large majority in the Eduskunta.
