Greens quit Finland's coalition

HELSINKI, Finland -- Finland's Green Party has walked out of the country's coalition government after parliament voted to proceed with controversial plans to build the country's fifth nuclear reactor.

The departure of the 11-strong group, which was expected following Friday's vote, will not threaten the ruling coalition's majority, which will fall to 130 seats in the 200-member house.

"The meeting decided we will leave the government and continue our politics from the opposition," Anne Sinnemaki, a Green MP told Reuters on Sunday, May 26, 2002

The Green Party has held a conference over the weekend to discuss what action to take following the reactor decision.

Delegates voted 38-8 to go into opposition, party officials said.

The decision means the government will need to appoint a new environment minister to succeed the Greens' Satu Hassi.

The government says Finland needs the fifth reactor to ensure economic growth continues, to meet Kyoto pact targets on cutting emissions, and to reduce its dependence on Russia, which provides most of its imported energy.

Parliament voted by 107 votes to 92 for the reactor which it is argued will guarantee Finland's long-term energy supplies, cut its dependence on Russia and meet greenhouse gas targets.

It will be the first such plant since 1991, when France decided to build a new reactor, and could encourage similar decisions elsewhere in Europe.

Environmentalists have bitterly opposed the plan, saying it ignores health and security risks -- the latter even more important since September 11.

The Finnish decision comes almost three decades since the last reactor was built in Finland, which has no oil or natural gas of its own.

Finland imports more than 70 percent of its energy, mostly from Russia.

With the Greens moving into opposition, the four remaining parties in the coalition government are the Social Democrats, the country's largest party, the Conservatives, the Left Alliance and the Swedish People's Party.

Finland's next parliamentary election is set for March 2003.