According to Suomela, the government may have to decide already in the spring on additional funding for the social security reform.
The Greens acting as Vice-Chair Iiris Suomela says the Greens’ election result was 1.5 to 2 percentage points below what the party had expected.
“The election result was significantly weaker than we had set as a goal. If I can name a flash of light, it is that we got a representative for every council in the welfare area, ”says Suomela on Monday after the election.
“It’s the kind of foundation you can build on. Through local Active Work, we can grow across the country. There is room for improvement, but there is still a lot to do. ”
In any case, the election night in Suomela did not go well, as there was a pipe leak in the family’s housing association, and the child became ill with the coronavirus. On Monday, Suomela learned that she had also been infected with the corona.
Now, however, the water is running, and in the background of the telephone interview is the voice of a cheerful child recovering loudly.
Read more: Three big parties celebrate, two parties collapsed: here are election winners and disappointers – This is how the results compare to municipal elections
Suomela does not blame the outcome for circumstances or other matters outside the party.
“I don’t feel the need to blame others for this result. It is clear that you need to improve your own work. ”
He says the Greens are not well enough known for their sote themes. “It’s a task that needs to be taken over more closely.”
Suomela says the Greens were overshadowed because, in general, it was difficult to find differences even between the opposition and government parties in the election.
“Of course, mental health was an issue where we stood out. In general, we need to be able to stand out through more clear themes and upliftment. It requires more long-term work. That work is ahead of us between elections. ”
Read more: Iiris Suomela of the Greens sued his board partner SDP for a therapy guarantee in an MTV exam: “It is not enough to have access to a nurse’s case”
Read more: Greens disappointed in regional election results: ‘Redistribution within government where Greens suffered’
Suomela says the greens still make an impact Ville Niinistö (Chair 2011-2017) post-term change of leadership and crisis. He says the party did not have time to invest enough in the 2019 elections or programming because of its crisis.
“It also affected the government negotiations and the start of the term. There are long traces of that time. And one may also ask, how has the work of this government progressed, for example, with regard to the climate crisis? Really a lot we’ve already done, but is it visible enough outward? We and the entire government will certainly still have room for this. ”
“Climate is always a challenge for us, because for many it is the main reason for choosing greens. Yes, it will hurt us if it is a little unclear whether the government will achieve its goals. ”
Part however, the Greens have criticized the party for focusing mainly on climate and equality issues, but not on other themes in society such as the economy, health and not very loudly even on education.
“We should be able to fight on several fronts at the same time. The climate crisis is, of course, a matter of human destiny, so it is quite justified to make it a top goal. I hope that the climate crisis is not a divisive issue but a unifying issue in government. I hoped it wouldn’t take a huge amount of time and energy within the government. ”
Suomela says the government is facing a number of difficult negotiations in the spring, but he does not believe that the barking of other governing parties, for example, will help the Greens.
Read more: The government faces big bundles of legislation and painful negotiations in the spring, each of which could collapse
In terms of support for the Greens, the most important spring talks will take place in March if experts say the government needs to make new decisions in addition to those already decided. The goal is for Finland to be carbon neutral in 2035.
“So far, the signs show that some more action is needed and at least the concretisation of the actions decided upon. We have a lot of top-level actions and goals that are not detailed in the government’s proposals. ”
Are the Greens ready to leave the government if the government does not implement the recommendations of the Climate Panel, for example?
“It’s the big question here. Personally, I am of the opinion that we should continue to work in government as long as we can achieve more for the climate than being outside the government. Of course, you have more time in power than if you weren’t in government. ”
Despite this, Suomela does not rule out leaving the government, but says that in the end it is not only in the hands of the party leadership.
In the Greens, the decision of the government is made jointly by the party council and the parliamentary group. A large party council has a majority of the votes.
“I hope that we will be involved in building the world’s first carbon-neutral welfare state in Finland for as long as possible. I believe we are capable of a credible climate policy. But here we need to maintain close contact with the party council and the parliamentary group. This is not in my hands alone. ”
Read more: Greens with poor regional election results could be a difficult partner for the government in the spring – how the election results affect national politics
Suomela says the government has a lot more to do with green issues than climate.
“We have human rights violations that have not yet been addressed. Work is needed on a comprehensive reform of the sexual offense law, the fight against intimate partner violence and translation. ”
Suomela says that suspending the green losing pipeline would also require more decisions to complete the return to education and ensure that enough is also invested in research and culture.
“In the end, being on the board is all about evaluation. Of course, if we start moving to the point where the government’s program agreement is not kept, it is a place for serious consideration. ”
Regional elections there was a lot of talk during that time that the money now set aside was not enough to launch the sote reform, even for computer systems.
Should more money be set aside for reform as early as this spring?
“Depending on how the situation develops, yes. This thing needs something to take care of. I understand there are challenges already this year. Then the tools will be different if there are challenges ahead in the years to come. We cannot take the risk that health services will not run from next January. ”
Read more: The return of the big three and the loss of identity politics? The results of the regional elections do not necessarily indicate a wider change in policy
.
#Regional #elections #Suomela #Greens #admits #election #party #lot #result #significantly #expected
