Official talks to form govt from May 2, interim parliamentary bodies formed

Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party-NCP) leader Petteri Orpo on Wednesday said that he was planning to select the political parties by the end of this month to invite for the formal negotiation talks to form the new government.

The official talks will start on May 2 at the House of the Estates in Helsinki's Kruununhaka neighbourhood, said at a press conference in the parliament.

Orpo said that before the official talks he will hold meetings with the political parties separately on Friday and early next week to know detail on their answers.

Earlier on Tuesday, political parties replied to the queries given on April 14 by Petteri Orpo.

Meanwhile, the plenary session of the Parliament on Wednesday unanimously elected the members to 16 parliamentary committees, the Office Commission, and the Finnish delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, said the parliament in a press release.

According to the tradition, committees are re-appointed when a new government is formed.

After the plenary session, the committees held their constitutive meetings to elect their chairs and vice-chairs from among themselves.

The delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will held its constitutive meeting on Thursday.

The members of the Intelligence Oversight Committee will be elected after the appointment of the new government.

The Chairpersons of the committees are- Kokoomus lawmaker Heikki Autto- the Grand Committee, Anna-Kaisa Ikonen of Kokoomus- the Constitutional Law Committee, Johannes Koskinen of the Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue (Social Democratic Party of Finland-SDP)-the Foreign Affairs Committee, Eeva Kalli of the Suomen Keskusta (Centre Party of Finland)- the Finance Committee, Mika Kari of SDP- the Audit Committee, Mari Rantanen of the Perussuomalaiset (Finns Party)- Administration Committee, Leena Meri of Perussuomalaiset- the Legal Affairs Committee, Jouni Ovaska of Keskusta- Transport and Communications Committee, Ritva Elomaa of Perussuomalaiset- the Agriculture and Forestry Committee, Antti Häkkänen of Kokoomus- the Defence Committee, Johanna Ojala-Niemelä of SDP- the Education and Culture Committee, Suna Kymäläinen of SDP- the Social Affairs and Health Committee, Sakari Puisto of Perussuomalaiset- the Commerce Committee, Aino-Kaisa Pekonen of the Vasemmistoliito (Left Alliance)- the Committee for the Future, Kai Mykkänen of Kokoomus- the Employment and Equality Committee and Hanna Holopainen of Vihreä Liitto (Green League)- the Environment Committee.