Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen AP PHOTO

The centrists narrowly won a March 18 parliamentary vote to remain the biggest group in Parliament by a one-seat margin over the Conservative Party, which posted the strongest gains.

The left-leaning Social Democrats, meanwhile, dropped eight seats in the 200-member assembly and were expected to lose their place in the governing coalition.

However, any government shift was not expected to yield major changes in a country where there is agreement on most policies, including on maintaining Finland's neutrality and its welfare system financed by high taxes.

The Japan Times Weekly: March 24, 2007
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