Finns go to the polls

A nationalist party that rejects bail-outs for Portugal and other debt-ridden eurozone members is expected to make strong gains in Finland's election today but remains unlikely to join the next government, according to a series of recent polls.

The opposition True Finns party, which opposes immigration and rescue funds for what it calls Europe's "squanderers", has quadrupled its support since the last election and is poised to finish among the top four.

The True Finns' rise has led to worries in eurozone economies over whether they can count on Finland's support for bail-out funds, which must be unanimously approved by the 17 countries using the euro.

However, recent surveys show the nationalists are not likely to get enough support to break up the current pro-bailout government - a four-party coalition led by Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi's Centre Party and the conservative National Coalition Party.

True Finns leader Timo Soini believes his party is now big enough to deserve seats in the next government, though he realises that his stance on European rescue funds is problematic for others parties.

"But everything is possible. If we could agree on a program, then who knows?" Soini said.

In a last-minute plea for voters to back parties that support bail-outs, industrial organisations emphasized that the small, export-dependent economy would be threatened if the financial crisis in Europe spreads.

The full, front-page advertisement in Finland's leading daily, Helsingin Sanomat, said that exports provide jobs for up to one million people and guarantee the country's well-being.

A poll presented on Thursday by public broadcaster YLE showed the National Coalition winning the election with 21.2% support ahead of the Centre Party with 18.6%.

Together with their two smaller coalition partners they would have a combined 53%, enough to keep their majority in Parliament.

The main opposition Social Democrats - who like the True Finns are sceptical about eurozone bail-outs - got 18% support in the poll while the True Finns scored 15.4%. That's lower than in previous polls but a sharp increase from the 4% they won in the last election in 2007.

Keeping all options open, Kiviniemi, the prime minister, didn't rule out coalition talks with any of the other leaders.

"I can work with all the parties, and all the leaders of the other parties," she said in Helsinki. "But we must first wait for the results of the elections, so then we are ready to start negotiating the next government's program."

Finland has pledged some $11.5bn (€8bn) in guarantees of a total $634bn (€439.33bn) in the eurozone's main bailout fund. But those likely will increase significantly as the currency union completes a promised boost of the fund's lending capacity.

If any single country pulls out the system will crash, leading to a worsening of the debt crisis at a time when the group is deciding whether bail-outs will end with Portugal or will also be needed for larger economies like Spain or Italy.