‘Women in majority’: Finland’s govt led by Social Democratic PM Rinne sworn in

Finland’s new center-left coalition government was sworn in on Thursday. The country’s first Social Democratic prime minister in 16 years is assuming office along with a Cabinet where women are in the majority.

The 19-member Cabinet of Prime Minister Antti Rinne was approved in the 200-seat Eduskunta legislature in Helsinki, after which President Sauli Niinisto appointed it. Eleven of the Cabinet members are female, reflecting Nordic gender equality in the nation’s politics, AP said.

The Social Democratic Party, the Center Party, the Greens, the Left Alliance and the Swedish People’s Party of Finland clinched a coalition deal on Monday after weeks of intensive talks.

The five parties muster a comfortable 117 seats in the Parliament. Rinne’s Social Democrats became Finland’s largest party in the April 14 general election by an extremely narrow margin over the populist Finns Party.