Finland's eurosceptic party wants part in new government

Finland's right-wing eurosceptic Finns Party said Tuesday that it was determined to be part of the new government for the first time, regardless of the make up of the coalition.

The party came second with 38 seats out of 200 in the general election Sunday, behind the centre-right Centre Party which won 49.

"We're expecting a decision-making role in the government. Hopefully the negotiations succeed and that our ideas are also taken into account," party secretary Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo told AFP.

Prime minister-elect Juha Sipila has said he is open to negotiations with all political parties including the Finns Party.

Slunga-Poutsalo did not reveal what demands the party would make to Sipila when coalition discussions get underway next week.

"We have not yet set any preconditions. We are looking forward now with great interest to Sipila's proposals and what he sees as the most important tasks for the new coming government," she said.

The party came third in the 2011 election but chose to stay out of a left-right coalition as it was vehemently opposed to eurozone bailouts.

But this time, it sees no major obstacle to joining the government and is prepared to govern with any party including two from the outgoing coalition government -- the National Coalition Party which came third with 37 seats and the Social Democrats which won 34 seats.

Before the election, the head of the Finns Party, Timo Soini, said he expected to be made prime minister, finance minister or foreign minister in line with the Finnish tradition that the three largest parties share the top jobs.

Sipila has said that negotiations to form the new government would take several weeks and would focus largely on how to relaunch Finland's ailing economy, hit by the decline of its telecom and forestry industries.