The board of the Finns Party has fired Tampere chapter party chair Terhi Kiemunki, according to party secretary Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo.
Slunga-Poutsalo said that Kiemunki’s dismissal arose from irregularities with her travel invoices, however she noted that it was just one one of many factors that led to the decision.
“Let’s just say that we found ourselves in a situation where this was the only way out,” Slunga-Poutsalo added.
Terhi Kiemunki rose to notoriety when she was convicted of ethnic incitement for an anti-Muslim blog post last December.
The Tampere division of the Finns Party sent out a press release announcing Kiemunki’s departure on Saturday. In the release, second vice chair Heikki Luoto, secretary Elisa Hiltunen and treasurer Seikku Kaita said the news was “devastating”, and that they condemned the “board’s questionable decision”.
Kiemunki was the assistant to MP Lea Mäkipää, and is listed as a candidate for the upcoming municipal elections in Tampere.
According to Slunga-Poutsalo, the situation will be discussed by Tampere Finns Party members early next week.