The chair of the Swedish People's Party (SPP), Anna-Maja Henriksson, announced that she will run as a candidate in the next European elections.
She made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday afternoon in Helsinki.
"It is important that the European Parliament hears the voice of the SPP," she told reporters. The SPP draws most of its support from Finland's Swedish-speaking minority.
The SPP's current MEP, Nils Torvalds, has already announced he will not run for re-election. The European elections are due to take place in June.
Henriksson, who turns 60 this month, is also Finland's education minister in Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's (NCP) right-wing coalition government.
Henriksson said she plans to continue serving as SPP's leader and as minister until further notice.
However, she added that she will accept the MEP position if she is elected, adding that she considered the idea of running for MEP for some time.
"This has not been an easy decision for me — I have needed time to think in peace about what this decision could mean to me and for the Swedish People's Party," she said.
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