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Sanna Marin neck and neck with conservatives in early Finland voting Sanna Marin to lose nail-biting Finnish race - projection
(36 minutes later)
Sanna Marin, 37, has been prime minister since 2019Sanna Marin, 37, has been prime minister since 2019
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin's centre left are almost level with the opposition conservatives in early results in Sunday's general election. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin's centre left is set to lose a nail-biting election to the conservatives, a YLE TV projection says.
Her Social Democrats were on 20.4%, with Petteri Orpo's National Coalition Party on 20.1% based on 56.4% of the vote. With three-quarters of the vote counted, Petteri Orpo's National Coalition Party has pulled ahead of the right-wing populist Finns Party and Ms Marin's Social Democrats.
The election has been a three-way race and Riikka Purra's right-wing populist The Finns are close behind on 19.1%. For weeks the election had been seen as a three-way race.
Leader Riikka Purra says she is still fighting for first place. And as results came in on Sunday evening, it became too close to call.
Finnish commentators say the results could still swing between parties as the evening progresses, but Ms Marin, 37, was clearly pleased with her party's performance. Petteri Orpo's National Coalition Party were on 20.9% of the vote, with Riikka Purra's The Finns on 20.4% and the Social Democrats trailing on 19.6%.
When she burst on to the scene four years ago, she was the world's youngest prime minister at the head of a coalition of five parties, all led by women. But the public broadcaster's projected result is widely considered as reliable, giving Mr Orpo the largest number of seats in parliament.
Her poll ratings are still high, but many Finns see her as a polarising figure. She came under heavy scrutiny last summer when a video emerged of her singing, dancing and drinking at a party. Sanna Marin became the world's youngest leader when she burst on to the political scene in 2019. She headed a coalition of five parties, all led by women.
Now 37, she has steered Finland to within days of Nato membership, having won plaudits for her country's response to neighbouring Russia's full-scale invasion.
Her poll ratings are still high, but the election was largely fought on Finland's public debt as all the mainstream parties backed Nato membership.
Many Finns see her as a polarising figure. She came under heavy scrutiny last year when a video emerged of her singing, dancing and drinking at a party. Supporters said the controversy was steeped in sexism and women across Finland and the world shared videos of themselves dancing in solidarity.
Whichever party comes out on top on Sunday evening is likely to have the first opportunity in forming a government. Finland's system of proportional representation requires a coalition to muster more than 100 seats in the 200-seat parliament to run the country.Whichever party comes out on top on Sunday evening is likely to have the first opportunity in forming a government. Finland's system of proportional representation requires a coalition to muster more than 100 seats in the 200-seat parliament to run the country.
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