The 2011 general election saw the rise of the True Finns party, who gained 35 seats at the expense of all but one of the other parliamentary parties. Kiviniemi's Centre Party was hit hardest, losing 16 of the 51 seats they had previously held and falling from being the largest party to the fourth largest. Kiviniemi initially declared that her party would not seek to be part of the next government, but later accepted an invitation by Jyrki Katainen to join coalition negotiations. Those negotiations broke down, however, and after six other parties announced they had come to an agreement, she presented her government's resignation to the President and was officially succeeded by Katainen as Prime Minister on 22 June 2011. The Centre Party went into opposition, with Kiviniemi continuing as its chairwoman.
