Regional polls on Sote deferred indefinitely

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä on Sunday said regional elections on the Social and Health Care Reforms (Sote) will not be held on October, but when they might be held remains unclear.

“The elections will be postponed a little,” said Sipilä, also the chair of the ruling Suomen Keskusta (Centre Party), during the prime minister’s question hour programme on the national broadcaster Yle Radio on Sunday afternoon.

He, however, believed that the lawmakers of the three-party ruling alliance still support the plans to carry out the proposed Sote reforms, reported Yle.

The prime minister said the regional elections could take place after the government finalises every detail regarding the Sote reforms.

The announcement from the prime minister confirmed the postponement of holding the elections to set up a new network of larger regional bodies to take over the administration of the reformed Sote for an indefinite period.

According to the plans, the proposed reforms will be implemented at the beginning of 2020 and the prime minister still believes that the stipulated timeframe could be upheld.

Earlier, on Saturday, Finance Minister Petteri Orpo, also chief of the Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party), one of the components of the three-party alliance government, opined that the time constraints may prevent the government’s plan to arrange the regional elections on the Sote reforms in October.

On Friday a Kokoomus lawmaker, Susanna Koski, said she was planning to cast vote against the Sote reforms, growing the list of the ruling Kokoomus MPs who decided to oppose the reform proposal, said the Yle report.

Recently, some lawmakers of the Kokoomus, including Elina Lepomäki and recently-departed Hjallis Harkimo, announced that they will not support the Sote reform proposal.

Justice Minister Antti Häkkinenon on Friday warned that parliament’s slow pace in dealing with the Sote bill could mean that the proposed regional elections are at risk of being postponed, the Yle report added.