Mr Soini suggests that his party could enter government with an independent line on European matters.

ECONOMIST: Finland's election: Race to the Finnish | The

Moreover, Finland's mainstream parties may yet find a way to keep the difficult Mr Soini out of government.

ECONOMIST: Finland's election: Race to the Finnish | The

In last year's Finnish election the True Finns under Timo Soini went from almost no support to close to 20% by campaigning against euro-zone bail-outs.

ECONOMIST: The euro crisis: An ever-deeper democratic deficit | The

Mr Soini went to the polls pledging to block future bail-outs.

ECONOMIST: Finland's election