Daily Finland
Three opposition parties on Wednesday tabled a no-confidence motion in the parliament against the four-party alliance government led by conservative Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party-NCP) over the deepening poverty and rising living cost in the country. Leaders of the main opposition the Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue (Social Democratic Party of Finland-SDP), Vasemmistoliitto (Left Alliance) and Vihreä liitto (Finnish Green League) - filed the interpellation asking the government to explain the reasons behind increasing poverty and living cost hike. The parliamentary party leader of Vasemmistoliitto, Aino-Kaisa Pekonen initiated the interpellation, which accused the government of its failure to reduce the poverty and marginalisation in the country. Referring to a recent report of the Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health (Soste), the leaders of the opposition parties said that almost a million Finns are already at risk of poverty and social exclusion. The poverty crisis has been exacerbated particularly by the right-wing government's deep cuts to social security, they said. They also held the government responsible for its failure to grow the economy and pointed out that the unemployment and homelessness are increasing and at the same time bread lines are getting longer. The opposition parties leaders also accused the government of throwing the country into a very poor shape and demanded that the government either act now to alleviate the poverty crisis, or give space to more capable forces. The government led by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will respond to the interpellation in a plenary session within 15 days. After receiving the reply to the interpellation, the Parliament will hold a debate on the issue and proceed to a no-confidence motion against the government or a particular minister. Earlier on March 31, the opposition parties decided to bring a no-confidence motion in the parliament.
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