Finland’s economy minister Vilhelm Junnila has managed to survive a no-confidence vote in parliament initiated by the opposition. The vote was triggered by controversial references made by Junnila, which were associated with Nazis. Junnila, a member of the nationalist Finns Party, is part of a right-wing coalition that came into power after an April election.
The opposition accused Junnila of repeatedly making Nazi references, with the latest incident occurring during his election campaign. During a public broadcast on YLE, Junnila congratulated a fellow party member on his candidate number, 88. This number is recognized as a neo-Nazi symbol that replaces the “Heil Hitler” salute, and it is widely regarded as one of the most common white supremacist symbols by the Anti-Defamation League.
Junnila has since expressed regret for his choice of words, acknowledging that it was a distasteful joke. Despite the controversy, the no-confidence motion proposed by the opposition Green Party was voted down in parliament. A total of 95 members supported Junnila, while 86 voted against him, including seven members from the coalition member, the Swedish People’s Party.
