President of Finland Sauli Niinisto (L) shakes hands with new Prime Minister Antti Rinne during the swearing-in ceremony of the new government at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki June 6, 2019. The new Finnish left-center cabinet under Prime Minister Antti Rinne was formally appointed by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto on Thursday. (Xinhua/Matti Matikainen)
HELSINKI, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The new Finnish left-center cabinet under prime minister Antti Rinne was formally appointed by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto on Thursday.
Earlier on Thursday, Rinne, who has been the chairman of the Social Democratic Party since 2014, had been elected to take the position with 111 votes in the 200-member parliament.
Rinne has been the first prime minister from the political left for 16 years. Besides the Social Democratic Party, the government comprises the Center, the Greens, the Left Alliance and the Swedish People's Party.
The left-center coalition replaced the center-right cabinet under the Centrist leader Juha Sipila.
Both the outgoing and the new cabinet were formally received at the Presidential Castle Mirror Hall on Thursday.
Addressing the new government, Niinisto noted that the election result did not give an explicit base for a government, but the coalition talks had succeeded. He said that mutual internal trust is important for a coalition to succeed.
He predicted that unpredictability internationally will continue and the government must have the ability to respond quickly with its decisions.
Rinne said that the welfare of every individual in Finland is in the interest of everyone. Rinne said the government will reduce inequality and income differences.
He said the new government will invest in the future, and in know-how and research in order to improve the Finnish competitive edge and boost employment. Rinne also underlined the commitment of the government to tackling the climate crisis.
