Nils Torvalds to run in Finland’s spring parliamentary elections
Former Member of the European Parliament Nils Torvalds, 81, has announced his candidacy in Finland’s upcoming spring parliamentary elections. Torvalds, a long-time member of the Swedish People’s Party of Finland (RKP), will run in the Southwest Finland constituency, where the party currently holds one parliamentary seat.
In a press release issued by RKP, Torvalds stated that his campaign priorities are securing Finland’s welfare system and ensuring the party retains its seat in the region. "I am running to work in Parliament for a strong Turku region and for a Finland where we dare to make the right decisions, even when they are difficult," he said (MTV Uutiset). Torvalds emphasized the urgency of the task, stating, "Now is the time to save RKP’s parliamentary seat in Southwest Finland" (Ilta-Sanomat).
Torvalds served as an MEP from 2012 to 2024 but did not seek re-election in last year’s European elections. He was also RKP’s presidential candidate in the 2018 election.
Deep roots in Southwest Finland
Torvalds’ connection to the Turku region spans generations. His grandfather is buried near Kemiö Church, while his grandmother rests in the cemetery of Qvidja Manor in Parainen. Both his grandfather and father served as editors-in-chief of the Åbo Underrättelser newspaper, and his mother was born in Turku. "The Turku region is an essential part of my history and identity," he said, noting that he has spent summers on Lemlahti Island and in Tunnhamn, part of the former municipality of Hiittinen (Ilta-Sanomat).
Torvalds currently resides in Helsinki, while RKP’s other candidate in the constituency, Sandra Bergqvist, is from Nauvo in the Turku Archipelago. Bergqvist, a second-term MP and the party’s vice chair, has served as Minister of Science and Culture—responsible for sports, physical activity, and youth—during the current electoral term and has already been nominated as a candidate (Ilta-Sanomat).
