Polarised Finland

The Finnish Greens have seen steady growth in support, contributing to a political environment where traditional parties no longer hold a majority. Finnish politics has shifted from an economic left-right divide toward a 'GAL-TAN' axis (Green, Alternative, and Libertarian versus Traditionalist, Authoritarian, and Nationalist), with the Greens advocating for climate action and the right-wing populist Finns Party opposing it. This polarisation makes forming coalition governments more difficult, requiring the inclusion of younger parties or broad-based cooperation. The author argues that the Greens must successfully implement large-scale Green New Deal policies to counter the rise of the populist right and prevent the adoption of 'watered-down solutions'.

• Finnish politics is characterized by high polarisation, with a shift from traditional economic divides to social, cultural, and identity issues, often described as the 'GAL-TAN' axis (Green, Alternative, and Libertarian versus Traditionalist, Authoritarian, and Nationalist).
• Support for established political parties in Finland has fallen below 50 per cent for the first time, according to late 2019 polling, while the right-wing populist Finns Party has maintained between 17.5 and 19 per cent of the vote in parliamentary elections since 2011.
• The shift in political power has made it difficult to form stable coalition governments in the Finnish parliament, as the three established parties (Social Democrats, Centre Party, and National Coalition Party) are no longer sufficient as a base, necessitating the inclusion of younger parties.
• To counter the rise of the populist right, the author argues that Green New Deal policies must be implemented on a scale sufficient to change the narrative and provide hope for a just future, warning that the current coalition may otherwise only agree on 'watered-down solutions'.

APA

Raittila, S. (2020). Polarised Finland. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/polarised-finland/

Chicago

Raittila, Simo. Polarised Finland. Green European Journal, 2020. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/polarised-finland/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Raittila |first1=Simo |title=Polarised Finland |publisher=Green European Journal |date=11 March 2020 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/polarised-finland/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{raittila2020polarised, author = {Raittila, Simo}, title = {{Polarised Finland}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2020}, month = mar, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/polarised-finland/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }