Newly elected chairman of the Finnish Party Riikka Purra presented his agenda in a speech to the party congress on Sunday afternoon. The day before, he was chosen to succeed Jussi Halla-aho, who announced his resignation in June for four years at the helm.
Purra, whose candidacy was supported by Halla-aho, said he would not change the policy of the nationalist party, but would seek to express it more clearly.
In his political speech, Purra said the party is working to tighten immigration policy.
He proposed reducing the number of asylum seekers to zero and stricter rules for family reunification. Purra also said that the conditions for acquiring citizenship should also be tightened.
No “friends or enemies” among other parties
Purra reiterated his earlier claim that the party would only join a future government that is ready to tighten immigration policy. He added that there would be nothing in his party "friends or enemies" among other parties, but would "cooperate when it is profitable and useful".
"Every party that is not ready to tighten Finland’s immigration policy is not ready to be in the same government as the Finnish party," he said.
Purra said he wanted the party to be nationalist and patriotic and not populist.
According to Purra, the party wants to change the legislation on hate speech, which has caused accusations for many party members and officials over the years.
At a press conference on Sunday morning, Purra commented on the judgments and accusations of a basic Finn who had been elected vice chairman the day before.
Sebastian Tynkkynen, was elected third vice-president, has been convicted of incitement against an ethnic group Mauri Peltokangas, who was elected second vice – president, has recently been charged with the same crime.
According to Purra, it seems that when party politicians speak, they often get into trouble with the chief prosecutor without mentioning Raija Toiviainen named. He rejected the journalist’s question as to whether it would be appropriate for the legislature to comment on the decisions of the independent judiciary.
The NCP is now just a big party with only male chairs
In a victory speech on Saturday, Purra said he intended the party to win the 2023 parliamentary elections and was ready to be prime minister. However, he said the party only forms a coalition government whose parties are committed to a tougher position on immigration.
Purra received almost 60 percent of the vote at the party’s congress in Seinäjoki, Western Finland.
The party has consistently been one of the three largest in Finland in recent years.
Purra, 44, is the party’s fourth leader since its founding in 1995 and the first woman.
With him, the second most important opposition block, the National Coalition Party (NCP), is the only major Finnish party that has never had a female leader.