Finnish gov't survives confidence vote over euro crisis

(HELSINKI) - Finland's government survived a vote of confidence in parliament Wednesday over its handling of the eurozone debt crisis.

Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen's broad, six-party coalition government won with 116 votes in its favour.

Seventy-one members of the populist, anti-EU Finns Party and the traditionally agrarian Centre Party -- the only two parties in opposition -- were joined in voting against the government by two independents recently forced out of junior coalition partner the Left Alliance.

The confidence vote followed a heated debate on the euro crisis initiated Tuesday by the eurosceptic Finns Party.

Finns Party chair Timo Soini accused the majority government of surrendering Finnish sovereignty to the EU and called on the government to prepare for the end of the euro.

The Centre Party meanwhile said it did not want to break up the eurozone, but was not willing to save the common currency "at any price."

Finland opposed the use of qualified majority voting to administer a permanent EU bailout fund at last week's EU summit in Brussels, saying it was inconsistent with its national constitution.

However, Katainen's government has stressed it wants to continue playing a role in the permanent fund in a way that will respect the Finnish constitution.