If government rules are broken one more time, there will no longer be a government, Prime Minister Sanna Marin warned after a turbulent day in the parliament and a meeting between five party leaders on Wednesday.
From tax issues to the rights of the Sami people, the government has stumbled forward during the autumn. The latest crisis erupted when the Centre Party voted in line with the opposition on different parts of the nature conservation act, removing water and vulnerable habitats sections.
“It isn’t right that someone breaks the government’s common rules and doesn’t defend proposals that the government has unanimously presented to the Parliament,” she was quoted by YLE on Wednesday. “I want this country to have a functioning government in the current composition, but breaking the rules repeatedly without any repercussions is untenable.”
The issue is that before the vote, the five ruling parties had agreed not to break from the government line and rules, but the Centre broke with expectations and protocol on matters related to springs, brooks, and water environments.
“If we’re faced with the same situation once more – with a party failing to follow the government’s rules – then this government will cease to exist,” she declared. “You could use the words, ‘this was the last time’.”
The behaviour infuriated the four other government parties, social democrats, the Left Alliance, the Greens, and the Swedish People’s Party.
Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Maria Ohisalo from the Greens said, “Pulling the rug from under four ruling parties is very serious. You can restore trust through actions by showing you want to be part of this.”
However, Finance Minister Annika Saarikko spoke of the Centre Parliamentary Group’s satisfaction with the last-minute revisions.
“The nature conservation act is improving. The nature conservation act has been issued, and the sections on property protection have been clarified,” she said.
Parties in the government are expected to defend their proposals in front of the parliament, especially if they are beforehand unanimously agreed on.
The government is hanging on mainly due to outside pressure and a need to secure and finalise NATO membership and to cope with the energy crisis. General elections are scheduled for April 2023.
(Pekka Vänttinen | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
