Li Andersson, the chairperson of the Left Alliance, spoke to reporters in Helsinki on Tuesday, 5 March 2024. Andersson revealed both that she will step down as party chairperson in autumn and run in the European elections in June. (Emmi Korhonen – Lehtikuva)
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LI ANDERSSON on Tuesday announced she will step aside as chairperson of the Left Alliance and seek a seat in the European Parliament.
Andersson, who is closing in on eight years at the helm of the opposition party, revealed at a press conference that she plans to tender her resignation so that the party can choose her successor next autumn – about a year ahead of schedule.
She had previously stated that she will not seek re-election as chairperson in the party conference scheduled for November 2025.
“If I were to continue as chairperson until the regularly scheduled party conference, it’d mean that I’d be in charge of the municipal and county election campaigns in 2025. It’d mean that the new chairperson’s first elections would be the parliamentary elections in 2027,” she explained according to YLE.
“With this announcement, I can resign from the post of chairperson on my own terms, without work exhaustion, without crises and without losing the party’s confidence.”
Andersson on Tuesday also announced she has decided to vie for a seat in the European Parliament in June. She described the decision to throw her hat into the ring as the most difficult of her life but ultimately one that is the best for her family.
“This factor had the greatest influence on my thinking,” she said.
Also it did not come entirely out of the blue. Andersson in February told Suomen Kuvalehti that she is considering the candidacy, emphasising the importance of retaining a seat in the European Parliament for the Left Alliance.
Silvia Modig, the party’s sole representative in Brussels, has announced she is not seeking re-election. The Left Alliance has already nominated 13 candidates for the elections, including ex-minister Merja Kyllönen.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
