Polling stations opened in Finland on Sunday to elect a new parliament, with opinion polls suggesting the three leading parties are closely tied.

The Nordic country has a population of 5.5 million.

Some 4.5 million Finns are eligible to vote, of whom 40% casted their ballots early between Mar. 22 and 28 in different regions of the country.

Polls close at 8 pm local time. The final results will be announced next Wednesday.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, 37, faces fierce competition from the center-right National Coalition Party led by Petteri Orpo and the right-wing populist The Finns Party, which is led by Riikka Purra, placing her in third place according to opinion polls.

The three parties are in a neck-and-neck race to win a majority of Finlands 200-seat parliament and form a new government, which usually takes about six weeks, meaning that the current Finnish prime minister will have to remain as the head of the acting government next week when Finland officially joins NATO.

It is not unlikely that the result of the elections will be derailed because all major parties are now in favor of joining NATO.

The leader of the party that comes at the forefront of the election results holds the position of prime minister, provided that he can form a government coalition.

Source: Qatar News Agency