Editorial | There were sparks in the election campaign, but many big issues were overlooked

Editorial|Editorial

OFthe campaigning of the mothers’ parliamentary elections was still called weak in the beginning of March, but since then such assessments have been forgotten. The campaigning quickly became rampant, which has been seen especially in the presidential exams.

The spark is largely explained by the tight race for first place. The elections will be held tomorrow, Sunday, and in this week’s measurements, the coalition, Perusfuomalaiset and Sdp have been so close to each other that the parties and candidates cannot slow down their steps at all before the finish line.

This is the case, even though based on the last major election exam organized by Yle on Thursday evening, the chairmen were already on lactic acid. Their goal was just to repeat their own core messages and avoid any possible mistakes. As important as attracting voters, it seemed, was to be careful not to alienate any potential voters.

The fact that probably more than half of the votes have been cast does not diminish the importance of the final vote. According to the Ministry of Justice, approximately 40 percent of those entitled to vote cast their votes in the early voting that ended on Tuesday. In the battles for the last seats in the electoral district, even one vote can have an impact.

Veconomy has played a central role in the struggle for power. It is largely explained by the long-term indebtedness of the state economy and the rapid growth of interest expenses, but also by the fact that the parties have clearly different lines on economic issues. When, in particular, the coalition’s and SDP’s perceptions of the need to adjust the state economy and the means of balancing are far from each other, the debate about the state economy has been repeated again and again. However, the economic discussion has largely remained in the state economy, and people’s own economy has not become a theme at all as it was supposed to. The mildness of winter now had its political dimension.

When the state economy has been at the center of debates, the future has largely been talked about through the economy. There has been very little broader reflection on Finland’s direction. For example, the low birth rate and its many effects, public health and its improvement other than in healthcare, the growing marginalization of young people, the environment, nature and Finland’s position in the digitalization of the world have played a smaller role.

All of these are also safety issues. However, the discussion on foreign and security policy also remained a side track in these elections, contrary to what many had anticipated. Likewise, Finland’s EU policy was simply ignored.

Finland’s competitiveness was largely discussed through education. The discussion about education was left with laughter as everyone emphasized its importance. However, the topic is big, and there are differences between the parties. There are also social and health issues concerning the big and the everyday, but the freshness of the social security reform made the discussion difficult. For example, under-resourcing will only become noticeable later.

Vunder the blankets, the promises are delicate, which has been seen even now. This time it has worked in both directions when, in addition to additional investments, cuts have also been emphasized and promised.

Vagueness and generality are also part of the issue. Sometimes the responsibility is transferred to the listener. That’s what happened in the last few meters, when basic Finns found two opposing positions on cuts and the transfer of kiky payments from employees back to be paid by employers. The party seems confident that it is not a big problem for the party’s potential voters. The other parties also know that feelings and emotions ultimately have a big impact on the voting decision.

The editorials are HS’s positions on a current topic. The articles are prepared by HS’s editorial department, and they reflect the journal principle line.