Voter approval for the opposition Left Alliance has surged to its highest level in 15 years, according to a report by Helsingin Sanomat.
Minja Koskela, who has spearheaded the Left Alliance since 2024, has successfully kept the party’s support above nine percent for an entire year—a remarkable feat in the ever-shifting landscape of Finnish politics.
In contrast, support for the ruling National Coalition Party (NCP) has dipped below 18 percent, marking its weakest performance during Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s administration. This decline aligns with the latest voter sentiment survey, which reveals that if a parliamentary election were held today, the NCP would garner just 17.9 percent of eligible votes. Meanwhile, the opposition Social Democrats maintain their position as the most popular party, boasting a support rate of 25.1 percent.
The combined backing for the governing Coalition now stands at 38.2 percent, a decrease of 0.6 percentage points since January.
### Digital Barriers
Nordic cooperation faced a significant roadblock recently when Finnish national Ruth Dammert, who sought to access her Swedish pension after retiring, found herself unable to access her pension information.
Hufvudstadsbladet reports that despite Dammert’s extensive career spanning both Finland and Sweden, her attempt to draw her Swedish pension was thwarted. The core issue? After two decades in Finland, she no longer possessed a Swedish bank ID—a crucial digital key for nearly all administrative interactions in Sweden—even though she still holds a Swedish bank account.
Dammert’s situation is far from unique. “Nordic citizens who have worked across borders face unnecessary hurdles regarding their pensions,” noted Anders Ahnlid, Sweden’s former Ambassador to Finland and now an advocate at the Nordic Council, which seeks to eliminate such obstacles. Ahnlid highlighted that resolving these pension-related issues has long been a priority for the council, aiming to make the Nordic region the world’s most interconnected by 2030.
### Finnish Only in Name?
In a notable shift, smart ring manufacturer Oura announced on Tuesday its decision to relocate the domicile of its parent company to the United States, specifically Delaware, known for its business-friendly regulations and low tax rates that facilitate stock market listings.
Founded in Oulu, Oura has traditionally been seen as a Finnish company. However, its leadership and primary operations have long been based in the U.S. Despite this, about half of its 1,000-strong workforce will continue to work in Finland.
Kauppalehti reports that ownership of Oura is increasingly concentrated in foreign hands, with American investors now forming the largest bloc. From a Finnish perspective, this change represents a loss, as the country continues to generate high-quality growth companies that often fail to remain anchored at home—a trend attributed, in part, to a scarcity of private capital willing to take on risk.