Henriksson re-elected RKP Chairperson

The Suomenruotsalainenkansanpuolue (Swedish People’s Party of Finland-RKP) elected on Sunday Anna-Maja Henriksson again as its chairperson.

There were no contending candidates in the party convention in Vaasa. After four years in opposition, the party returned to the cabinet this week.

Henriksson is the minister for justice in the new cabinet. Another party member Thomas Blomqvist is the minister for Nordic affairs and equality.

Henriksson dismissed criticism on Sunday that the party had gone "to a leftist" cabinet. She reminded that the government under the Social Democratic prime minister Antti Rinne includes besides the two leftwing parties also the Center and the Greens and her party that she described as "to the right of center."

Finland has a six-percent Swedish speaking minority and the country is officially bilingual. The Swedish party has been in nearly all governments, but in 2015 the then prime minister Juha Sipilä dropped it. Sipilä's government included the populist Perussuomalaiset (Finns Party) with their agenda against bilingualism.

The program of the new cabinet this past week included measures improving the position of Swedish language.