Success of True Finns no surprise

The right-wing True Finns party increased its share of the vote by 9 percent in comparison with the 2004 European elections. Its leader Timo Soini won more than 130,000 votes. The daily Turun Sanomat writes that this hardly comes as a surprise: "The True Finns have won their expected victory in the Finnish European elections. As the pollsters had predicted, the doors of the European Parliament have opened to the anti-Europe leader Timo Soini. Although this represents a historic performance its practical meaning remains a curiosity. Soini, who is continuing in the best tradition of Vennamo populism [after populist politician Veikko Vennamo] showed with his campaign that it's possible to whip up enthusiasm among the forgotten people even without European masters and solely on the strength of rhetoric. Not even his plans to spend only a brief spell in the European Parliament and return to domestic politics in time for the next general elections could hinder the avalanche of votes he received."

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