Anti-bailout party, allied to UKIP, may finish first in Finnish election quadruples vote

Tim Montgomerie

Results are still provosional and the 'True Finns' party - partners of UKIP in the European Parliament - will not have enough members of parliament to govern alone but they will likely force Finland to take a much more Eurosceptic negotiating position and their success (a forecast quadrulping of their vote) is another sign of opposition across Europe to the expensive bailouts of states like Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

The party's leader is Timo Soini.

Finland's elections look like a four horse race and the country's Social Democrats also oppose a bailout of Portugal.

The BBC website accuses the True Finns of "xenophobia". Wikipedia's description is fairer:

"The party combines left-wing economic policies with strongly conservative social values. Even though True Finns is a Finnish-based movement with only newly emerging international connections, it has been compared with the rise of the Tea Party movement in the United States and other similar populist movements in Europe, critical of globalism and the well-connected power elites."

9.45pm: Associated Press report.

***

BACKGROUND VIDEO