The future prime minister of Finland, after winning Sunday’s parliamentary elections, the leader of the center-right National Coalition, Petteri Orpo (53 years old), made budget stringency his first priority, AFP comments.

This experienced former minister, who held on at the head of the party despite defeat in the 2019 legislative assembly, this time managed to beat his social democratic rival, but still popular, the head of the current government, Sanna Marin, as well as the anti-immigration Finns Party, who were also hoping for this position.

“This is a great victory,” the politician’s son reveled in front of his troops after a tense election night.

With Finland, already an unofficial member of the “frugal” or “miserly” club, those European Union countries concerned about the austerity of the budget, his arrival promises some sparks in Brussels when it comes to loosening the purse strings.

“The most important thing (…) is to stop the debt from growing,” he told AFP on the sidelines of his campaign.

Finland’s public debt, which is 73% of GDP, remains much lower than other European countries.

But Petteri Orpo managed to convince that this level, which has increased by around 10 points in four years, is a cause for concern and that a €6 billion savings plan is absolutely necessary.

In front of Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who has been well-regarded on other big issues – managing the COVID-19 pandemic, NATO membership, standing firm in the face of Moscow and loyally supporting Ukraine – she appears to have found what she considers an Achilles’ heel 37 – annual head of years.

“I want to fix our economy, I want to accelerate economic growth,” said the political science and economics graduate.

Sanna Marin “doesn’t care about the economy, she doesn’t care about the debt,” he said, prompting accusations from his rival that he wants to “take from the poor to give to the rich.”

The son of the former chairman of Kokoomus, Finland’s historic right-wing party, Petteri Orpo campaigned at the top of the polls, but his lead has eroded in recent weeks, resulting in a very close three-way race.

With this first place, this native of the south-west of the country will take the post of prime minister without much surprise. But it faces the dilemma of forming a majority in the 200-seat Eduskunta parliament.

Fie is negotiating to his left with Sanna Marin to form a “blue-red” government that is not taboo for the Finnish political class.

But it would seem inconsistent after repeated accusations of social democrats in economic policy.

Or, more likely, he is reaching out to the far-right from the Finns Nationalist Party. But with an anti-immigration line, this is hardly compatible with his.

“In my opinion, Finland cannot survive without increasing labor immigration,” he told AFP on the campaign trail. “I want Finland to remain an open international country, that’s what we live for, exports.”

But despite these differences and others related to the EU and the climate, his party and the nationalist formation “have a lot in common”, he also said during the campaign.

“There is no far-right party in Finland,” he assured the foreign press on Sunday evening.

Big glasses, short hair, his style is very conventional.

Lover of nature, fishing and hiking, married with two children. Involved in politics since he was a teenager, he took 12 years to complete his master’s degree, too busy with his activism.

The longevity of this calm and urbane man, even erased, is curious in the corrosive and merciless world of politics.

His apparent calm is sometimes an advantage in heated debates, but he is often cornered by harsher speakers.

The 53-year-old has also made blunders, such as when he had to apologize for criticizing Prime Minister Sanna Marin and another party leader for “screaming” during a debate, prompting accusations of sexism.

But he is used to hiding opponents who are more extravagant or more famous abroad than he is. Like when he conquered the party chairman at the expense of ex-prime minister Alex Stubb.