Saarikko to vie for Keskusta chair
Published : 30 Jul 2020, 14:07
Updated : 31 Jul 2020, 02:47
Suomen Keskusta (Centre Party of Finland) leader Annika Saarikko will contest for the post of the party chair challenging the incumbent Chairperson Katri Kulmuni.
Saarikko, a lawmaker and Minister of Science and Culture who is now on maternity leave, announced her candidature at a press conference in Helsinki on Thursday.
Saarikko, a 36-year-old leader, took leave of absence in August last year for one year for child birth and care. She will resume her office as minister next week.
The party will elect its next chairperson in a council scheduled for September.
Referring to recent opinion polls, Saarikko at the press conference pointed out the declining trend of the party’s popularity, remarking that people had lost their confidence on the Keskusta.
According to the results of some recent opinion polls, the two-time minister Saarikko is a strong favourite to replace the present party Chairperson Katri Kulmuni.
According to the findings of a survey conducted in early July by the national broadcaster Yle on the party’s policymakers, Saarikko led Kulmuni by a margin of 47 to 38 per cent.
Polls conducted by the private broadcaster MTV News and the tabloid newspaper Iltalehti came up with similar results.