One of the smallest parties in Parliament, founded by business mogul Hjallis Harkimo, suffered a blow as his potential successor switched to the Centre Party.Panu Peitsaro (in the middle) watches Hjallis Harkimo on TV after last spring's election. Image: Sami IkonenYle News14.5. 15:45The deputy chair of the Movement Now party, Panu Peitsaro, said on Thursday that he is defecting to the Centre party, along with all six of his party colleagues on the Savonlinna city council.Peitsaro was seen as a possible successor to the party's founder, chair and sole MP, Harry ‘Hjallis’ Harkimo.Peitsaro was a popular candidate in both of last spring's elections, gaining the most votes in the South Savo regional election. That gave the party three seats on the regional council. Movement Now did not win any seats in other wellbeing services counties."Movement Now does not have the kind of national influence or a realistic possibility of getting its own MP from Southeast Finland that continuing its activities as its own council group would be genuinely effective," he and the other Savonlinna councillors said in a joint press release on Thursday.Peitsaro intends to run in next spring's parliamentary election on the Centre ticket. He was previously a member of the National Coalition Party. He was elected as a deputy MP in the 2019 parliamentary elections, but left the NCP in 2021.The centre-right Movement Now was started in 2019 by Harkimo, who was then an NCP parliamentarian.He is best known as a former owner of the Helsinki ice hockey team Jokerit and builder of its home venue, the Helsinki Arena. He was also a TV celebrity who hosted the Finnish version of The Apprentice for years.