Finnish ruling party makes strong showing

29 Oct 2012, 5:12 pm   -   Source: AAP
PM Jyrki Katainen's National Coalition Party has won the most votes in local elections in Finland. (AAP)

PM Jyrki Katainen's National Coalition Party has won the most votes in local elections in Finland. (AAP)

PM Jyrki Katainen's National Coalition Party has won the most votes in local elections in Finland.

Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen's National Coalition Party has won the most votes in local elections in Finland, with the anti-euro populist Finns Party also making a strong showing.

Katainen's party garnered 21.8 per cent of the vote against 19.6 per cent for the Social Democrats who are part of the national government coalition.

Both ruling parties lost votes compared to the last municipal election in 2008.

The Finns Party, previously known as the True Finns, which is adamantly opposed to the government's participation in eurozone bailouts, won 12.4 per cent, seven percentage points more than in 2008 but down 6.7 per cent compared to legislative polls last year.

The opposition Centre party which widely dominates politics outside the capital Helsinki came in third with 18.8 per cent, down 1.3 percentage points on its 2008 results.

On Sunday voters elected their city councils after a campaign centred around unemployment, healthcare and taxes against the backdrop of the eurozone crisis.

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