The governing body of the Finns Party has dismissed Piia Kattelus-Kilpeläinen — the second vice president of Seinäjoki city council — as a member of the party.
The party's local chapter in South Ostrobothnia was previously prepared to nominate Kattelus-Kilepeläinen to run for a MP seat, but the broader national party did not approve of the nomination.
The party said the reason for her dismissal was related to the earlier nomination decision and what it characterised as anti-party activities.
A couple of years ago a photo was published of Kattelus-Kilepeläinen wearing black and blue coloured clothing that supported the Lapua Movement—an interwar, fascist political movement. She had also shown support for a splinter group of the Finns Party called sinimusta—or blue-black—the colours of fascist support in Finland.
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The radical and ultranationalist Sinimusta became a registered party in June, having received the necessary 5,000 signatures.
Kattelus-Kilpeläinen was the vote leader of her party in Seinäjoki and South Ostrobothnia in last year's municipal elections and in this year's county elections in which she received 1,300 votes.
Kattelus-Kilepeläinen also serves as a representative in the wellbeing services county of South Ostrobothnia.