Nationalist True Finns make gains in Finland vote
True Finns leader Timo Soini celebrates with supporters at the party's reception in Helsinki, Finland, 17 April 2011 Pre-vote polls suggested the popularity of Timo Soini's True Finns had quadrupled since 2007
A Finnish nationalist party has taken nearly a fifth of votes in the general election, results suggest.
With almost all votes counted, the True Finns were running just behind the conservative NCP and the Social Democrats on around 19%.
The party has an anti-immigration, eurosceptic stance, and its influence could affect EU bail-outs including the planned Portuguese rescue.
A hostile Finnish government could theoretically veto the package.
The conservative National Coalition Party, part of the current centre-right government and a strong advocate for European integration, will be the largest party.
With full results yet to be declared, the True Finns had won 39 seats in the 200-member parliament, official preliminary results showed.
That put it four seats behind the National Coalition Party (NCP) and just three behind the opposition Social Democrats.
The Centre Party of outgoing Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi had roughly the same level of support, Reuters reported.
The strong showing for the True Finns meant the anti-euro party would at least "get an invitation to talks" on a new government, the agency quoted party leader Timo Soini as saying.
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Predicted seats in parliament
* National Coalition Party - 43
* True Finns - 39
* Social Democrats - 42
* Centre Party - 36
Finland is currently governed by an EU-friendly four-party coalition led by the Centre Party and the NCP.
"The bigger parties have no reason to invite the True Finns into any coalition if they can make up the numbers without them," Olavi Borg, professor emeritus in political sciences, told the Associated Press news agency.
EU 'squanderers'
Polling organisations had suggested the True Finns' support would rise to more than 15%, a leap from the 4% they won in 2007.
With its charismatic leader Mr Soini, the party rejects rescue funds for EU "squanderers", as well as opposing immigration.
Analysts say many Finns have become disenchanted with the big three mainstream parties who have run the country for decades.
"Whether the True Finns will really [emerge] as champions of the elections is still uncertain but I think we will clearly get a more nationalistic, more conservative, less European-oriented government in Finland," ING senior economist Carsten Brzeski told Reuters news agency.
Polling stations in the nation of 5.3 million people opened at 0900 (0600 GMT) and closed at 2000.
. Seriously though, it's a non-issue because Russia will never give it back and I, for one, am not at all sure I even want it back.
