Yard wrote his blog that he would not be a member of the party unless he was sure that his party colleagues most often agreed.
“Another thing is that as mayoral candidates represent the current range of values of the national coalition. At the moment, there is a real risk that I will not have the ability to succeed as mayor representing the national coalition,” he argued.
“The core value of a national coalition is to create an active and prosperous society where everyone has the opportunity to own a business, earn wages and live a good life. All. It is not based on prejudice and discriminatory thinking. One should not politicize about human dignity. “
Helsingin Sanomat on Sunday wrote that several party members have expressed embarrassment about the candidate who was absent on the eve of the election after receiving widespread support for his candidate, throwing his hat in the ring and winning the nomination.
“Really shit trick,” one party member described to the newspaper.
His surprise announcement reflects the gap between the party’s conservative and liberal groups. It was also interpreted as an indication of his naivety and lack of support from other party leaders. Some party members felt that the decision could be related to a smear campaign launched by the legal media members of the party for legal campaigns and the lack of response from the party leadership.
“I would imagine Yard was surprised at how the National Coalition has been throughout Helsinki,” another member told the newspaper.
Petteri Orpo, chairman of the national coalition, on Sunday said he does not accept allegations of a lack of support from the party leadership. The yard, he stressed, received the full support of the party leadership.
“He had made his decision firmly. Naturally, I asked him to stay in the race, but he had made his decision. I have nothing but what he himself wrote. “
When parties had to finalize their list of candidates for municipal elections by March 18, the announcement received immediate speculation about the national coalition’s mayoral candidate. Juhana Vartiainen Parliament’s second-term MP (NCP) revealed that he was seriously considering nominating the candidate and promised to announce his final decision in the coming days.
Vartiainen revealed that he had weighed the possibility before appointing Yard. “Now that the situation has changed, I have returned to previous thoughts.”
According to him, the position is attractive considering the importance of the capital for the Finnish economy and development. If the National Coalition is unable to hold the reins in Helsinki, the economy may be poorly managed and taxes may be raised unreasonably, according to Vartiainen.
“Helsinki’s ability to invest and develop in the future is a critical issue in the coming years,” he said. “Modern economic growth is urban growth. It is critical that Helsinki is doing well. “
Aleksi Teivainen – HT