The governing parties in Finland have seen an increase in support, while the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) has suffered a notable drop, according to Yle's latest parliamentary election poll.
Despite the decline, SDP remains the most popular party with 22.8 percent support. However, its backing fell by 1.6 percentage points compared to the previous poll. The ruling National Coalition Party (NCP) maintained its 20 percent support, keeping the gap between the two leading parties at nearly three percentage points.
The results differ from the most recent Yle poll of voting intention for the municipal and county elections.
The Finns Party, another coalition member, saw a slight rise of 0.4 percentage points, reaching 15.4 percent. However, political scientist Johanna Vuorelma of the University of Helsinki noted that the party continues to bear the brunt of the challenges of being in government.
Centre Party continues upward trend
The Centre Party's upward trajectory persisted, reaching 13.7 percent, its highest level since 2019. Vuorelma attributed the rise partly to the upcoming municipal and regional elections and the debate over healthcare service cuts.
Meanwhile, other opposition parties saw declines. The Left Alliance and the Greens both lost 0.7 percentage points, standing at 8.5 percent and 7.8 percent, respectively. Vuorelma suggested their struggles stem from the current focus on security and economic issues rather than climate policy.
Christian Democrats see biggest gain
Among the governing coalition parties, the Christian Democrats recorded the largest increase, rising 1.7 percentage points to 4.7 percent. The Swedish People's Party also saw a slight increase, reaching 3.9 percent.
Overall, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's (NCP) government now holds a combined 44% support — up 2.5 percentage points from the previous poll but still significantly lower than past administrations at the same stage in their term.
The current government's support is ten percentage points lower than that of former PM Sanna Marin's (SPD) government at the same point during its term of office. Orpo's government is also trailing in support compared to Juha Sipilä's (Cen) centre-right government.
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