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Sipilä government wins first confidence vote

Juha Sipilä and his new government won its first vote of confidence in Parliament Thursday. The result means that government will now proceed to implement its raft of austerity measures.

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä leads his new cabinet to the government banquet hall Smolna on Friday.
Image: Antti Aimo-Koivisto / Lehtikuva

Although opposition MPs slammed the government's economic programme during debate earlier in the week, the majority three-party coalition easily found support for its proposals.

On Tuesday Social Democratic Party chair and ex- Finance Minister Antti Rinne accused the government of backpedaling on its election promises - and noted that the brunt of planned austerity measures focused disproportionally on families, the elderly and the unemployed.

A former union leader, Rinne also charged that the Sipilä coalition had resorted to extortion to force labour organisations to enter so-called social contract aimed at improving business competitiveness.

The final result in the chamber was 114 to 72 against. Some 13 lawmakers were absent for the ballot.

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