In the new Finnish government, the finance minister, from a far-right party, resigned after several controversies, such as Nazi jokes, the suggestion of abortions in Africa and the falsification of the CV.
For just ten days I have not been in charge, but we have been enough for the Finnish Minister of the Economy, Vilhelm Junnila, belonging to the Finns Party — of extreme right — to see his name involved in various controversies, which forced him to present the request for dismissal this Friday. “Because of the continuity of the government and the reputation of Finland, it is impossible for me to be a minister satisfactorily,” read a government note quoted by The Guardian.
In the parliamentary elections of April 2023, the center-right Finnish party, the National Coalition, did not obtain the necessary result to obtain an absolute majority, siding with the far-right force, the Finns Party. The coalition took office on June 18, but has already recorded its first casualty.
At the origin of Vilhelm Junnila’s resignation are several controversial statements, one of them related to “climate abortion”, an issue that has gained media space in recent days. In 2019, the former minister argued that there should be “climate abortions” in Africa, calling it a “great advance for humanity”.
“In the underdeveloped societies of Africa, the number of children can be enormous and the problem is even greater with climate change. This leads them, due to hunger, disease and extreme weather conditions, to seek a better life in areas with an even higher carbon footprint,” argued the former Finnish minister.
Another of the controversies referred to the Nazi jokes that the former ruler made during a party event in 2019. Referring to the number 88, linked to the Nazi salute Heil Hitler (H is the eighth letter of the alphabet), Vilhelm Junnila praised the number of a candidate from his party. “It is a winning proposal. The 88 refers, of course, to two H’s, but we’re not going to debate what that means.”
This controversy forced the former Minister of Economy to resort, last week, to his personal Twitter account to guarantee that he condemned “totally the Holocaust and antisemitism”.
Haluan täydentää aikaisempia lausuntojani: toivottavasti kaikille on selvää, että tuomitsen holokaustin, antisemitismin ja kaikki antisemitistiset teot jyrkästi ja ehdottomasti.
I completely condemn the Holocaust, anti-Semitism and all anti-Semitic acts.— Vilhelm Junnila (@vilhelmjunnila) June 22, 2023
An investigation broadcast this Friday by the Finnish state channel (YLE) found that the former ruler lied in preparing his resume. Vilhelm Junnila, who worked in technology and oil companies, claimed to have a degree in Political Science, but never attended any classes. All this contributed to the early end of the political career of Minister of Finance, complicating the situation of the right-wing coalition in Finland.
Source: Observadora
