Finnish Foreign Minister Survives Confidence Motion Over Anti-Abortion Stance - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2018) Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini has survived a vote of no-confidence in the country's parliament brought against the minister over his anti-abortion position contradicting the country's liberal stand on the matter, local media reported Friday.

The no-confidence motion has been rejected by 100 lawmakers, with as many as 60 members of the Finnish parliament having expressed mistrust toward Soini, the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) reported.

Over past few months Soini expressed his personal view on the issue of abortion several times, first, having participated in an anti-abortion mass event in Canada in May and then expressing his opposition to artificial termination of pregnancy commenting on abortion votes in Argentina and Ireland.

Earlier in September, Finnish Justice Chancellor Tuomas Poysti investigated a complaint brought against the foreign minister over his anti-abortion stance conflicting with the Finnish international human rights position. Poysti called on Soini to show restraint with regard to the issue since his personal views might have been mistaken for the country's official position.