Suomen Keskusta (Centre Party)
EU RANK: 87 (Tier 2: High Performance)
Suomen Keskusta is a centrist party with agrarian roots, prioritising decentralisation, rural services, and regional development, alongside moderate EU engagement. After a historic low in the 2023 parliamentary election (11.3%, 23 seats), it remained outside the governing coalition and has focused on rebuilding its identity; Antti Kaikkonen took over leadership in June 2024. Its electorate is strongest in rural and regional Finland and among voters prioritising agriculture, regional infrastructure, and local public services.
Disinformation and alternative media
Keskusta has a party press organ tradition through Suomenmaa (JSN-member), but its broader influence also runs through aligned rural/agricultural media ecosystems and local press. These are not party-owned in the main, and there is limited evidence of reliance on fringe outlets. Disinformation/alternative media risk is low.
Foreign influence and external alignments
The party’s positioning is mainstream and institutionally integrated; there is no evidence of hostile foreign-state financial or organisational influence in the provided research. Foreign influence DMI risk is low.
Media capture, advertising and public service media
Centre does not control major media assets and operates mainly through standard campaigning and regional visibility. Finland’s PSB and ethics governance reduce capture opportunity. Media capture, advertising and PSB-control DMI risk is low.
Corruption, litigation and institutional integrity
Finland’s disclosure and audit system applies; notably, Centre has appeared as a high recipient of disclosed private support in NAOF-reported tables for some years, reflecting fundraising capacity and affiliated structures. System-wide, audits identify documentation gaps and retroactive corrections, but major violations remain uncommon. DMI corruption and institutional integrity risk is low to moderate due to funding-scale sensitivity rather than proven corruption.
Press freedom, harassment and treatment of media
No pattern of systematic harassment or delegitimisation of media is evident in the research base. Press freedom and harassment DMI risk is low.
| Dimension | Risk level | Short justification |
|---|---|---|
| Disinformation & alternative media | Low | Party organ exists; influence also via aligned rural/regional media; little reliance on fringe outlets. |
| Foreign influence & external alignments | Low | Mainstream positioning; no hostile-state ties evidenced. |
| Media capture & advertising / PSB control | Low | No major media assets; strong governance constraints in Finland. |
| Corruption & institutional integrity risk | Low–Moderate | Significant disclosed support volumes in some years; audit corrections exist, but few major violations. |
| Press freedom & harassment of media | Low | No systematic harassment; standard democratic engagement. |