The Finns Party has expelled MP Timo Vornanen and MEP Teuvo Hakkarainen.
The ousted politicians told Yle that the party leadership decided to expel them last Thursday 9 May. Finns Party secretary Harri Vuorenpää also confirmed the expulsions to Yle.
Vornanen said that he was informed of his dismissal in an email that was "short and to the point", but noted that the email did not include reasons for the dismissal.
In an incident last month, Vornanen is suspected of firing a shot into the ground after an argument outside a downtown Helsinki karaoke bar. He has been on sick leave from his MP duties since the incident.
Vornanen said that he is not currently considering joining another party and was waiting for the conclusion of the police's preliminary investigation. Instead, the MP said he plans to form the "Timo Vornanen Parliamentary Group", possibly as early as this week.
"With these thoughts in mind, let's move forward and see what life brings," Vornanen told Yle.
Hakkarainen runs independently
MEP Teuvo Hakkarainen said he also received an email last Thursday informing him of his expulsion from the Finns Party. It was sent by the party secretary, Harri Vuorenpää.
In an earlier decision, the Finns Party did not re-nominate Hakkarainen as a candidate for the upcoming European parliamentary elections.
At the time, Hakkarainen announced plans to stand as an independent candidate in the elections as a member of the Freedom Alliance, a small party with no representation in either the EU or Finnish parliaments.
According to Hakkarainen, the Finns Party's dismissal email did not specify his anti-party activities as the reason for his expulsion.
"The last straw was probably when I announced my campaign as an independent candidate for the Freedom Alliance," Hakkarainen told Yle.
At the end of February, Hakkarainen was told by the party secretary Vuorenpää that he would not be accepted as a candidate in the party's European elections. Even then, the reason given was anti-party activities.
"Now there is this mentality that if you question the party leadership or criticise their actions, you will be thrown out," Hakkarainen said.
Hakkarainen has been no stranger to controversy during his political career, having been convicted of assault and sexual harassment as a member of Finnish Parliament.
Finns Party has changed
The Finns Party is the second largest party in the coalition government led by the National Coalition Party.
Alongside PM Petteri Orpo (NCP), the Finns Party chair and Finance Minister Riikka Purra has moved forward with a number of savings plans and austerity measures.
In Hakkarainen's view, the Finns Party has become a supporting party for the NCP's cuts. These policies have long been goals of the National Coalition Party, but have not been widely adopted by Finns Party supporters, he said.
"The National Coalition Party does not need to do anything now. The Finns Party is doing the dirty work," Hakkarainen told Yle.
He also strongly criticised the leadership of the Finns Party after his expulsion. He said that the party leadership has become detached from the voters and does not listen to it.
"Now there is a mentality that if you question the party leadership or criticise their actions, you will be thrown out," Hakkarainen said.
He also voiced hope that the party will someday return to its roots as a populist movement.
"It's one last chance to fix the situation, before the whole group tears itself apart," Hakkarainen said.
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