Finns Face Grim Choices in a National Election

Just like in Greece, the main topic of Finland’s national election, in April, will be austerity. But the Finns have little or no chance to vote against it. All the major Finnish parties promise painful belt-tightening to keep public debt from ballooning as the economy struggles to expand.

The government debt of Finland has almost doubled since 2008, from 28 percent of gross domestic product to 48 percent at the end of 2014. Taxes have risen 3 percentage points over the same period as different administrations tried to preserve benefits without resorting to deep cuts. The jobless rate this year will rise slightly to 8.8 percent, the government estimates. GDP languishes below its 2008 level.