Parties Self-criticism from the district leaders of basic Finns about the poorly held regional elections: “We lacked bloody sote know-how”

Mightily According to the latest party support survey, support for basic Finns has plummeted. In a survey measuring support for parliamentary elections, the party received 15 percent support.

The decrease from the previous measurement is 3.3 percentage points. In a survey conducted at the beginning of January, the support of basic Finns was still 18.3 per cent.

Read more: Yle’s support measure: The Coalition Party continues to lead, the popularity of basic Finns collapsed

The downturn of the basic Finns is a continuation of the regional elections a couple of weeks ago, which went badly for the party. Basic Finns received 11.1 percent support in the election.

After the election, the HS interviewed all but one of the chairmen of the basic Finnish districts, who totaled 16. They were disappointed with the election result but not worried about the party’s support. The interviews were conducted before the publication of Yle Gallup.

Party chairman Riikka Purra accused fresh poor turnout, especially the low turnout. The same is said by district leaders, but many also consider the party’s own campaign a failure.

Chairman of the Northern Savonia district Ari Kaunisaho sees that the party did not get to the forefront of the regional elections in the right way.

“That way, it’s a place to look in the mirror. Bloody sote know-how on a broad front, we lacked that, ”he says.

According to Kaunisaho, there is also an explanation for that. Basic Finns have not been preparing for social reforms at the national level.

“Except for a couple of years when we were on the board,” Kaunisaho explains.

“We did not get our own voters moving in the way we would have liked, but it was quite deplorable during the whole turnout,” says the chairman of the Pirkanmaa district. Sami Kymäläinen.

“Of course, in all elections, if turnout is low, it will vaccinate us more than most others,” says the chairman of the Satakunta district. Arto Perttula.

At the same time, Perttulak also believes that the party’s poor regional election success is largely going away to your own spike.

“I see that our election campaign failed really badly. That is the biggest reason why the result remained the same, ”says Perttula.

“There was talk about things that were essential but not necessarily in this election. There were themes that would have worked really well in the parliamentary elections, but when the welfare areas are not deciding on those things. It didn’t address people at this point. ”

Many of the district leaders interviewed raise a campaign about the price of gasoline, for example.

“How can the regional council influence it,” the North Karelian district director Mika Purmonen wondering.

Also the Helsinki district director Laura Jokelan believes the biggest reason for the failure is the party’s own campaign.

“The message and goals should be clarified. If the campaigning seems unclear to basic Finns, it is also to voters who are not involved in politics in any way, ”says Jokela.

“There has been a lot of talk recently about the situation of nurses, for example. We should have focused on solutions and highlighted the problems of everyday life in general. ”

Arto Perttula does not blame Purra for the election result, but sees the problem of political planning and, to some extent, Helsinki-centricity in the background. He does not see well enough in the party what life is like elsewhere in Finland.

“In that sense, of course, Purrank’s reason is that the presidency’s job is to steer political planning in the right direction,” says Perttula.

What According to Purmonen, the party knew in advance that the regional elections would be difficult for basic Finns because the membership was not in favor of administrative reform of SOTE services. According to Purmonen, it ate the party’s support.

“So-called supporters of basic Finns were not just caught when politicians were elected to follow when officials do what the law says,” says the chairman of the district of Southwest Finland. Mikko Kangasoja.

District Director of Central Finland Janne Luoma-aho is of the opinion that the party now has a place of self-criticism precisely in the fact that it failed to make the election of interest to the membership.

“In that communication, there is room for improvement in how we get more voter interest in these sote issues.”

Ari Kaunisaho’s estimate is that the party was too stuck in negativity in its campaign.

“We opposed what already existed. More could have focused on how we want to develop this existing one. A more positive grip would have brought better fruit, ”he believes.

To Häme district chair Antti Salminen recalls that the cornerstones of the support of basic Finns are somewhere other than in sote matters. Salminen lists as such a “sensible” approach to climate change measures and criticism of the EU’s federal development and immigration.

“It was really hard for us to stand out in the regional elections when these themes were not in use.”

According to Salminen and a few other district leaders, the basic Finns had a clear and good campaign tip in the regional elections. When other parties listed various promises to improve services, Perussuomalainen tried to raise the issue of insufficient funding for SOTE services.

“Riikka [Purra] not only did he get his message across the election debates that the money was not enough, ”says Salminen.

Chairman of the Southern Ostrobothnia District Anne Matokangas sees that the elections were started backwards in basic Finns.

“The other parties had been preparing for longer. In the end, basic Finns believed that the reform would not go through, ”he says.

Part district leaders believe the result was also affected by the election.

“Has been an election and political craze. The whole of last spring and summer went to the municipal elections. The media is also full of politicians and politics because of the corona, ”says the chairman of the Central Ostrobothnia district. Timo Sillanpää.

“There has been too much hustle and bustle. No preparations were made when the regional elections came so suddenly after the municipal elections, ”says the chairman of the South Savo district Sami Nalli.

The deteriorating epidemic situation during the elections also caused frosts on the election success of basic Finns, circles believe.

“Basic Finns is a strong market party. Our strength is meeting people in markets and markets. It was much more difficult in this election because of the corona, ”says Sami Kymäläinen.

Walking around the people would have made it possible to open up not only the election themes but also what was at stake in the whole election to potential voters.

Chairman of the Lapland District Juhana Kelloniemi in fact, he doubts that it was completely unclear to many why it was voted on – or what it should have been voted on.

Although the party will, according to the district leaders, scrutinize the poor result of the regional elections and the reasons for it, at least they have no greater concern for the party’s support.

Chairman of the Kainuu District of Basic Finns Marko Mustonen is of the opinion that the real support of the party is not reflected in the results of the regional elections. Others have similar thoughts.

The district leaders’ thoughts seem to be already in next year’s parliamentary elections, which they see to be easier for basic Finns as elections.

“The parliamentary election is a completely different election for us,” says the chairman of the Uusimaa district Jari Immonen.

“It’s kind of more of an election. The nomination must be really strong. ”

Antti Salminen believes that by the time of the parliamentary elections, the reality of the SOTE reform has also become clear to the people.

“Then there is evidence that the economic issues raised by basic Finns are essential,” says Salminen.

“I don’t think we have a problem.”

“The rally continues. Purra has proposed a common election day for municipal, regional and parliamentary elections. That is a good proposal, ”says Timo Sillanpää.

“At the same time, one would be able to notice that the same person is not on every step of giving and taking money.”

District leaders according to chairman Riikka Purra has their full confidence.

“Yes, Riga has strong credit. There is no place for blame, ”says Marko Mustonen.

Arto Perttula, who has also criticized the party’s regional election campaign, says he still has confidence in Purra.

“But you have to learn from these elections and the result,” says Perttula.

“You have to listen to the circles. It provides information on what is important in the provinces. ”