Mikko Polvinen leaves Finns Party following group suspension

Finnish MP Mikko Polvinen has confirmed that he will not return to the Finns Party parliamentary group, a decision that also ends his membership of the party.

The announcement followed weeks of uncertainty after Polvinen was suspended from the parliamentary group in October. The suspension was set to run until the end of January. Polvinen said the outcome became clear after discussions with the group’s chair, Jani Mäkelä.

He shared his decision in a Facebook post published on Wednesday morning.

“I said at the end of our discussion that I will not apply to return to the Finns Party parliamentary group. During the discussion I was told that this in practice also means expulsion from the party. So be it,” Polvinen wrote.

Polvinen was removed from the parliamentary group after voting against the government line in a key healthcare vote. The issue concerned a citizens’ initiative calling for the retention of night-time emergency services at Oulaskangas Hospital in Oulainen.

The Finns Party, a member of the governing coalition, opposed the initiative. Polvinen supported it, citing the needs of residents in northern and eastern regions.

The vote triggered disciplinary action within the party. The parliamentary group imposed a fixed-term suspension of three months. At the time, party leaders said the measure reflected the importance of group discipline in government votes.

Polvinen, a first-term MP elected from the Oulu constituency, has since remained outside the group as an independent member of parliament.

In his Facebook post, Polvinen described the discussion with Mäkelä as decisive. He said he chose not to seek readmission, knowing that the decision would also sever his party ties.

“My journey in the Finns Party ends here and today,” he wrote.

Iltalehti first reported on the social media update.

As an independent MP, Polvinen retains his seat in parliament. He has not announced plans to join another party or parliamentary group. Finnish law allows MPs to continue their term outside their original party affiliation.

HT