It's the economy, Pöhkö: The 2023 Finnish election in the shadow of accession to NATO

When Finns went to the polls in April 2023, their country was on the cusp of completing a momentous reorientation of its security policy. Yet Finland's impending accession to the NATO alliance played little part in the campaign. Nor, despite international media interest in the prime minister, Sanna Marin, did the campaign revolve primarily around her. Rather, the customary issues of public debt, tax and public issues were central.