Värynen determined to challenge Sipilä as Keskusta Chair

Veteran politician Paavo Värynen on Monday gave details of his plan to challenge the prime minister and chairman of the Suomen Keskusta (Centre Party) Juha Sipilä in the party convention in June.

Vayrynen told a press conference in Helsinki that his campaign to run for the chairmanship would focus on correcting the party's current plan for a social service and health reform after the parliamentary election in April 2019.

In a political deal in 2015 with the Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party), another ruling party, the centrists were assured of their decades-long goal to set up provincial administrations in Finland.

However, cracks surfaced in the ranks of the conservatives about the health reform last week. Sipilä said his cabinet would resign if the reform plan does not go through.

The parliament is scheduled to vote on the plan in June. With a narrow majority of 105 seats in the 200 strong parliament, the risk of failure is concrete for Sipilä's cabinet.

Värynen made the remarks on Monday following conflicting reports over the weekend about the The Kansalaispuolue (Citizens’ Party), which he established last year. The party executive announced on Saturday that Väyrynen had been dismissed from the party, but Väyrynen said a lawsuit against the move had been filed.

The rules of the Center Party prohibit double membership involving another party. But only a basic party unit can fire a member, and Väyrynen happens to be the chairman of the basic center unit.

Former chairman of the Center Party, Väyrynen is currently a member of the European parliament. He said he has postponed his return to parliament until the autumn due to the working contracts of his assistants.

In the presidential election in January this year, Väyrynen running as an independent candidate got more votes than the centrist candidate, former prime minister Matti Vanhanen.