The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party’s parliamentary group chose Tuesday Pirkko Mattila to be the new chairwoman of the administration committee after PS MP Jussi Halla-aho was forced to resign last week. The PS MP from the northern Finnish town of Muhos got 25 votes, clearly beating challengers Juho Eerola and Ismo Soukola, who got 5 votes apiece, according to Helsingin Sanomat.
Political observers see Mattila’s appointment as a clear defeat for Halla-aho’s anti-immigration Suomen Sisu faction. Halla-aho had handpicked Eerola to be his successor.
The former chairman will continue to be a member of the committee.
PS MP Pirkko Mattila.
Mattila’s victory reveals as well that the PS is losing patience with its anti-immigration wing, which has received widespread negative coverage by the media and caused the party’s poll ratings to plummet.
The former chairman of the administration committee was forced to resign last week after he was fined by the Finnish Supreme Court fined for defaming a religion and for inciting ethnic hatred.
The administration committee oversees immigration policy.
This is the most pragmatic choice under the circumstances, and I more or less predicted just as much, as it is smart to avoid a wholesale game of musical chairs by committee members in the middle of an electoral period.
Pirkko Mattila is already a member of the Administration Committee, and she also has stronger academic qualifications than any of the other peruSSuomalaiset members and deputy members of that committee. She will presumably give up her place on the Committee for Agriculture and Forestry to another PS MP, perhaps to the convicted racist criminal Allah-loonie. The only question that remains is whether the Administration Committee will be willing to tolerate its disgraced racist criminal ex-Chairman as an ordinary member.
Mrs Mattila, hopefully you will be justice and fair to us immigrants. Im glad that Jussi Facist Aho and Eerola both falled off, now we count on you Mattila to be fair and justice please be worthed of your title.