In May 2016, Orpo announced that he would challenge the chair of the National Coalition Party and incumbent Minister of Finance Alexander Stubb in June's party conference. At the time, Orpo joined second-term parliamentarian Elina Valtonen in seeking to replace Stubb.Tuomas Forsell (4 May 2016), Finnish finance minister faces new challenge as party leader Reuters. In contrast to polyglot and outspoken Stubb, Orpo was widely seen as a careful consensus-seeker with little experience of international politics.Jussi Rosendahl (22 June 2016), Finland's Finance Minister Petteri Orpo Reuters. Orpo received 441,4 votes against Stubb's 361 and was thus elected as the new chair for the party. Orpo soon announced that he would take Stubb's seat as the Minister of Finance. He was officially appointed as the Minister of Finance on 22 June 2016.
