Kirsi Piha, a former MP and MEP, has declared her interest in becoming the National Coalition Party (NCP) candidate for the position of Helsinki mayor.
In a thread of tweets (in Finnish) on Monday morning, Piha said she is "ready to get to work" as she has three main focus areas for the future of the capital.
"1) A good life for Helsinki residents 2) Helsinki and its role and significance in Finland and in the world, 3) The role of cities, their management and their management principles," she wrote.
Piha was previously a member of Helsinki city council during the 1990s, and is currently working as a management consultant and entrepreneur in the communications industry.
The party's District Board will officially confirm the party’s mayoral candidate on Monday night, according to board chair Maarit Vierunen. NCP MP Wille Rydman also announced on Monday that he will be seeking the party's backing to run in the mayoral race.
Currently, no candidates other than Rydman and Piha have officially announced their intention to run on the NCP ticket, with MPs Sari Sarkomaa and Elina Lepomäki both pulling out last week.
There is already strong support for Piha’s candidacy within the party and on the board, according to Yle sources. She was also suggested as a mayoral candidate by former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb during an interview on Yle’s Ykkösaamu breakfast TV show in November.
The race hots up
If Piha is confirmed as the mayoral candidate for the NCP, which was Helsinki’s most popular party at the last municipal elections, she will join a list of prominent and seasoned politicians in what promises to be an exciting contest to become Helsinki’s next mayor.
One big challenger will be the current Deputy Mayor, Anni Sinnemäki of the Green Party, the second largest political group on Helsinki City Council after the NCP. Sinnemäki was an MP from 1999 to 2015, and briefly served as chair of the party as well as Minister for Labour during her stint in Parliament.
Finns Party chair Jussi Halla-Aho will run as his party’s candidate, while Nasima Razmyar of the SDP, Paavo Arhinmäki of the Left Alliance and Eeva Kärkkäinen of the Centre Party have also thrown their hats into the ring.
Among the candidates for the smaller parties, Mika Ebeling will run on the Christian Democrat ticket, Tiina Ahva will represent the Blue Reform party, Eva Biaudet will stand for the Swedish People’s Party and Movement Now chair Harry Harkimo is his party’s candidate.
In the last municipal elections in 2017, outgoing mayor Jan Vapaavuori received almost 30,000 votes to consolidate the NCP’s position as the most popular party in the capital.