Finland's prime minister-elect kicked off a last-ditch round of talks with rival parties on Tuesday, reviving attempts to build a coalition after six-way negotiations broke down last week, according to Reuters. Jyrki Katainen, head of the right-leaning National Coalition party, has struggled to form a government due to disputes with the eurosceptic True Finns party over aid to Portugal, and, more recently, with leftist parties over tax reform. A meeting of all Finnish political parties on Tuesday agreed that Katainen must start afresh and announce by Friday which parties he will work with to form a government. Failing that, he may be forced to step aside. "We all know that this is a very severe situation. Some time has gone by since the election, and we need to have a functioning majority government as soon as possible," Katainen told reporters after the meeting. As in previous Finnish elections, no party won a majority in the April 17 ballot. The relatively strong, third-place showing of the True Finns further complicated coalition talks. "The situation still remains very awkward. Every option seems to be open again, and it's difficult to forecast the outcome," said Kimmo Gronlund, the head of democracy research in Abo University. True Finns leader Timo Soini said he was ready for talks despite his misgivings about Finland's future role in aiding debt-burdened European countries. Katainen has repeatedly said the next government will be pro-Europe. "We will not vote for bailout packages. But will that stop us from entering the government? That remains to be seen," Soini told reporters. Jutta Urpilainen, head of the second-placed Social Democratic Party (SDP), said she was also open to new talks. "It is reasonable to give Katainen more time until Friday, but then he must have a solution," Urpilainen said. If Katainen fails to come up with a plan that can win over other parties, politicians may force him to step aside and designate the SDP leader as premier instead -- a measure Finland last invoked in 1979. "Katainen is not certain to be the next prime minister. I think his chances are only fifty-fifty now," Gronlund said. The stalemate so far reflects what analysts describe as a shift away from consensus-based politics and toward greater fractiousness among Finland's eight parties. There is a potential economic impact, too. Katainen seeks fiscal reform, but those plans are likely to be challenged by his prospective coalition partners.
