Finland's Left Alliance party leader Li Andersson won more votes than any other Finnish candidate running in the European elections. Ever.
In an election that saw a far-right surge in France and Germany, the 37-year old former education minister is part of a larger left-leaning victory spanning Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.
"We emerged as the kind of number one political alternative for a lot of voters," she told EUobserver on Thursday (13 June) in Brussels.
Her party placed second in Finland, with over 17 percent of the vote, after the ruling liberal-conservative National Coalition Party. The Left Alliance is now sending three MEPs to the European Parliament with Andersson alone obtaining some 240,000 votes.
How did she do it?
Andersson said they connected with voters on issues dealing with inequality, climate change, rule of law, democracy, and human rights. But she also attributes the performance to the far-right, who once in power, had demonstrably failed to improve the lives of people.
"Finland is one of the few countries in Europe where we have already seen and experienced what it means when the far right and the traditional right cooperates," she said.
She cited the right-wing nationalist Finns Party as an example. The Finns Party obtained under eight percent of the votes, or around half compared to the 2019 elections. It was also part of the coalition government but failed to deliver on campaign promises, said Andersson.
Instead, they attacked labour unions and workers' rights, cut social security for low wage earners, hiked VAT, and slashed financing for climate and the environment, she said.
Labour and environment issues aside, Andersson said the Left Alliance also supported Ukraine's right to defend itself, as well as arms exports to Ukraine. And she backed asylum and migration policies that respected international human rights law.
Andersson is now among the some 39 MEPs that make up The Left in the European Parliament. "We really want to have an active role in decision making within the parliament," she said.
Although currently the smallest group, she said The Left wanted to collaborate with the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) the Greens, and possibly others, to push forward issues dealing with labour rights and the green transition.
It is not immediately clear to what extent the Left will fold in additional MEPs. But Andersson said there were no negotiations with possible outliers, such as Italy's Five Star Movement, which has eight MEPs. And she ruled out Germany's Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW).
"My party and the Nordic Green Left, we are not willing to sit in the same group as the Wagenknecht," she said.
"For us it's more important to have a well functioning Left group than just the biggest size as possible," she added.
Created in the aftermath of a defections from the Die Linke last October, BSW is sending six MEPs to the European Parliament.
Wagenknecht has since called for a new ‘left conservative’ group.
Its European Parliament manifesto seeks a ceasefire and negotiations with Russia over Ukraine.
On migration, they want asylum to be processed at the EU's external borders and in other countries.
Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.
Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.