HELSINKI, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Finnish National Coalition Party on Saturday re-elected party chairman and the finance minister Petteri Orpo for another two years.
There were no other candidates in the party convention in Turku, western Finland. The conservatives are now the second most popular next to the social democrats in opinion polls.
Even though Orpo had no rivals in the re-election, the highlight of the convention was a debate duel between Orpo and the conservative mayor of Helsinki, Jan Vapaavuori, on the national health care reform. Vapaavuori is very critical of it, while Orpo endorses.
In his keynote address, Orpo criticized the labor unions and the political left for blocking "necessary reforms" in Finland.
In foreign policy, the conservatives maintained their aim of a Finnish membership in NATO. However, persistant demands by the party youth league to put the pursuit of NATO membership into the next government program were rejected. A detailed security policy statement is to be passed on Sunday.
