It wanted to return to government as the country's biggest party, in which case it would have been able to choose as its main partner either the SDP or the National Coalition. The Centre Party sought to win enough seats to deny the main government parties a joint majority in the new parliament. This target was not quite achieved. The Centre did not become the biggest party and will not have a parliamentary majority with any other party. But neither will the SDP or the National Coalition.
All options are therefore open.
As the election results do not provide a clear formula for the composition of a new government, the decisive factors will be relations between the parties and their political objectives. Cooperation between the SDP and the National Coalition ran smoothly in Paavo Lipponen's government. During its four years in office the government did not have a single internal political crisis. The Lipponen government was able to decide unanimously to join EMU, to pass four budgets and to assist in the preparation of two extensive labour market agreements. The government's record speaks on behalf of cooperation between the SDP and the National Coalition.