State budget talks between Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s (SDP) five-party coalition government were still at a standstill on Tuesday night.
The leaders of the government resumed negotiations on the seventh day and again failed to reach an agreement.
Prime Minister Marin left the Estate House in Kruununhaka, central Helsinki, for a moment to tell reporters that the center had not threatened to end the government despite the media to the contrary.
"I’ve been thinking about some of the newspaper reports," said Marin. "That’s why I came here."
Prime Minister Marin confirmed late Tuesday afternoon that talks will continue today.
"Negotiations are ongoing. We continue discussions and go through individual issues together and separately," Marin told the press outside the Estate House.
According to Marin, everyone is still committed to finding a solution.
"We still have a government that has not yet come across the country. But yes, we are in the middle of difficult negotiations," Marin said.
"Obviously we can’t negotiate forever, but at the moment we are still," the prime minister said.
The roar of the crisis coalition was felt earlier on the day when Saarikko told the press that his confidence in the government was shaken.
Marin responded to the consequences of Saarikko’s statement, saying it would be difficult to tackle the Covid crisis with the minority government.
"We are still in a serious situation and the country needs a functioning majority government that can take care of the affairs of the motherland during a pandemic. I hope that everyone can look beyond the interests of their party for the benefit of us all," the prime minister said.