Prime Time

First off, I’m pretty relieved with the choice for Finland’s new prime minister, Mari Kiviniemi. A good while ago, our then prime minister and the leader of the Center party Matti Vanhanen announced that he’d resign in June. Therefore, the party would have to elect a new leader who’d also become the new prime minister. On Saturday, the 41-year-old Mari Kiviniemi beat her older male contestants and will now become Finland’s second female prime minister – except that the first one only held the post for two months before she was forced to resign due to using classified information during her campaign. Let’s hope it goes better for Kiviniemi. Her victory was covered in the Swedish press as well. Dagens Nyheter, which is the biggest newspaper in Sweden, described her as fresh and uncorrupted by scandals, but not so colourful and quite distant, and not even a husband working in advertisement has managed to add colour. However, according to DN there are people who think that this might change now that Kiviniemi will have the highest power. All in all, DN presumes that Mari Kiviniemi is the only party leader candidate who has even theoretical possibilities of saving the Center party. Dunno about that, but it’ll be very interesting to see what happens with a youngish female prime minister after all those grumpy old men.

Sweden is also pretty occupied with politics at the moment. The parliamentary elections will be held in the autumn, and you can definitely tell by the amount of polls and political debates and speculations. I’ve been trying to get a hang of it all, since soon I’ll be working at a radio station and have to know what’s going on in this country.

This week is not about politics, however. It’s the week of the royal wedding! Crown princess Victoria will marry her long-term boyfriend Daniel Westling on Saturday, and the whole country’s going nuts. Seriously, I knew it would be a big deal, but I had no idea just how big. It’s everywhere. They have all sorts of special products, ranging from fridge magnets to chocolate to china. Shops have special displays of stuff related to the wedding and the royal family. The tabloids invite people to send their regards which will then be printed and sent to the royal couple. Last weekend, one of the TV channels broadcast wedding-related movies every night. One of the most overboard things I’ve seen was a campaign at our neighbouring mall, where they were searching for a look-a-like couple who’d be styled and photographed in royal style – and I bet that’s not even among the worst. They’re really making the most of it! But no wonder, the wedding will be a historic spectacle that costs about 15 million euros. I’ll certainly be glued to the TV on Saturday... Unless I want to go to a nearby park, Folkets Park, where they’re showing the whole thing from a big screen. Naturally, you can also get married in the park. I heard that June 19^th is a very popular wedding day this year, but come on! What bride wants to compete for attention with a princess?!

"The wedding is more fun on a big screen."

"Get married here on June 19th."

So that’s what’s going on in the kingdom. As for me, I’m still on holiday, and living accordingly. Yesterday, I met up with a couple of old friends, and we ended up in the aforementioned Folkets Park to look at some animals with the other friend’s 2-year-old son.

Scandinavian cooperation: Therèse from Sweden,
Smári from Iceland and Karoliina from Finland.

Per Albin Hansson doesn't seem to like Folkets Park.

Today I took a walk and discovered another great park called Pildammsparken. I don’t know why, but Malmö is just full of awesome parks! If only the weather would get better, I’m craving to go out for picnics and drinking wine in the sun. So far the summer here hasn’t been too kind, it was glorious during my first weekend but after that it’s been rainy and grey and chilly. Not nice! I’m in the South, goddamned!

Umm, ok.

Oh and KISS stopped by. We couldn't be bothered to go to the concert, but that wasn't even necessary cause we could hear it from our balcony and even see the fireworks. Now I'll have to find out if there'll be some concerts over the summer that might actually interest me.

Puss o kram!

-Karoliina