Finns Party MPs' posts and the prime minister's apology to Asian countries
Left Alliance (VAS) edged up with all 2 pollsters (+1.1); Finns Party (PS) edged down with all 2 pollsters (-0.7).
After Miss Finland lost her title over a photo of a slant-eye gesture, two Finns Party MPs and an MEP posted similar images, and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo apologised to China, Japan and South Korea. How the parliamentary polls moved before and after. Comparing each pollster with itself: its last poll before 10 December 2025 and its first poll starting on or after 18 December 2025, for the 2 pollsters that polled in both periods.
The polls moved after these events. That does not mean the events caused the change: other news happened in the same weeks, and each poll has a margin of error of about 2 to 3 points.
Change by party or candidate
2 pollsters| Party | Average change | Range | Pollsters up / down | Verdict | Average now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Left Alliance (VAS) | +1.1 | +0.9 … +1.3 | 2 / 0 | Slight rise with every pollster | 12.1% |
| Finns Party (PS) | -0.7 | -0.9 … -0.4 | 0 / 2 | Slight fall with every pollster | 16.0% |
| Centre Party (KESK) | -0.4 | -1.2 … +0.4 | 1 / 1 | Little change | 13.0% |
| Others | -0.3 | -0.6 … 0.0 | 0 / 1 | Little change | 1.9% |
| Social Democratic Party (SDP) | +0.3 | +0.3 … +0.4 | 2 / 0 | Little change | 23.1% |
| National Coalition Party (KOK) | -0.2 | -0.4 … +0.1 | 1 / 1 | Little change | 15.8% |
| Movement Now (Liike Nyt) | -0.2 | -0.5 … +0.1 | 1 / 1 | Little change | 2.2% |
| Christian Democrats (KD) | +0.1 | 0.0 … +0.2 | 1 / 0 | Little change | 3.1% |
Each pollster, before and after
Before ≤ 10 Dec · After ≥ 18 Dec| Pollster | Before | After | VAS | PS | KESK | Others | SDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taloustutkimus | 2 Dec | 3 Feb | +0.9 | -0.9 | +0.4 | -0.6 | +0.3 |
| Verian | 16 Nov | 16 Feb | +1.3 | -0.4 | -1.2 | 0.0 | +0.4 |
End of fieldwork; each date links to the poll's source. Changes in points.
What happened
- 11 Dec · The Miss Finland organisation strips Sarah Dzafce of her title over a photo of her pulling back her eyes, captioned "eating with a Chinese person".
- 11 Dec · Within days, Finns Party MPs Juho Eerola and Kaisa Garedew, and MEP Sebastian Tynkkynen, post photos of themselves making the same gesture; the posts are taken down after criticism.
- 17 Dec · Orpo apologises through Finland's embassies in China, Japan and South Korea for the posts by individual MPs.
- 18 Dec · The Finns Party group gives Eerola and Garedew a serious warning; party leader Riikka Purra calls the images "childish and crude" but says there was no racist intent.
Sources
- Yle News, Finns Party issues warning to eye-pulling MPs (18 Dec 2025)
- ScandAsia, Finnish prime minister apologises to Asian nations after MPs share racist posts (18 Dec 2025)
- Korea JoongAng Daily, Finnish leader apologizes to Korea, China and Japan following outrage at Miss Finland's slanted eye post
- Wikipedia, 2025 in Finland
How we measure
- Same pollster, before and after: comparing different pollsters would mistake their usual differences for movement.
- A candidate 'rose' or 'fell' only when at least 3 pollsters all moved the same way and the average change is 1.5 points or more; under 1 point is 'little change'; anything else is 'mixed'.
- Events are chosen by Sondagio and described from the cited sources. Polls: every published poll, as in the race's average.
- Independence: Sondagio's founder has no ties to any candidate or campaign. No figures are adjusted by hand.