Finns vote as far right aims to unseat PM Sanna Marin

The vote comes just days ahead of Finland’s formal accession to the NATO defence alliance.

Finns voted on Sunday in legislative elections that could see the country take a dramatic turn to the right, as centre-right and anti-immigration parties vie to unseat Social Democratic Prime Minister Sanna Marin.

After the breakthrough by nationalists in neighbouring Sweden and the far right's victory in Italy last year, Finland could become the latest country to join the nationalist wave in Europe.

First results are expected around 8:00 p.m. local time.

The vote comes just days ahead of Finland's formal accession to the NATO defence alliance.

"The polls show that the more right-wing political trend in Finland is gaining strength," Juho Rahkonen from the E2 research institute told AFP.

Traditionally, the biggest of the eight main parties in parliament gets the first chance to build a government, and since the 1990s that party has always claimed the Prime Minister's office.

"We are aiming to win this election and continue our work for a more sustainable future," Ms. Marin told reporters at her final campaign event in Helsinki on Saturday.