Prime Minister of Finland
| Prime Minister of Finland | |
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| Suomen pääministeri (Finnish) Finlands statsminister (Swedish) | |
 Prime Ministerial Seal | |
 Sanna Marin since 10 December 2019 | |
| Style | Madam Prime Minister (informal) Her Excellency (diplomatic) |
| Type | Head of government |
| Member of |
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| Residence | Kesäranta |
| Appointer | President |
| Term length | Four years, renewable |
| Precursor | Vice-Chairman of the Economic Division of the Senate of Finland |
| Inaugural holder | Pehr Evind Svinhufvud |
| Formation | 27 November 1917 |
| Salary | €146,076 annually[1] |
| Website | valtioneuvosto |
Politics of Finland |
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The prime minister of Finland (Finnish: Suomen pääministeri; Swedish: Finlands statsminister) is the head of the Finnish Government. The prime minister is Finland's head of government and is formally ranked third in the protocol after the president of Finland and the speaker of the Parliament.[2] Finland's first prime minister was Pehr Evind Svinhufvud (also later as the 3rd president of the Finland), was appointed on 27 November 1917, just a few days before the country became independent.
The incumbent prime minister is Sanna Marin of the Social Democratic Party. Marin was sworn in on 10 December 2019 and at 34, she became the world's youngest serving state leader and the youngest prime minister in Finland's history.[3]
History[]
In 1918, the Senate of Finland was transformed into the Government of Finland, and the position of vice-chairman of the Economic Division was transformed into that of the prime minister. Kesäranta, located in the westerly Meilahti subdivision of Helsinki, has been the official residence of the prime minister of Finland since 1919.
During its independence, declared in 1917, Finland has had 72 cabinets.[4] The longest lasting have been the two cabinets of prime minister Paavo Lipponen (Lipponen I and Lipponen II), both lasting the entire parliamentary term, or 1,464 days.
Appointment[]
The prime minister's appointment follows the parliamentary election, which are scheduled to be held once every four years.
Under the provisions of the Constitution of Finland, the president nominates a prime minister after the parties in the parliament have negotiated the distribution of seats in the new cabinet and the government's programme. The parliament must ratify the nominated prime minister with an absolute majority in a confidence vote without other candidates. If the nominee doesn't receive sufficient support, a new round of negotiations and a second nomination by the President follows. If the second nominee also fails to gain an absolute majority, a third vote is held, in which any member of parliament can nominate a candidate; in this round a plurality is sufficient for election.
The above procedure was first used to elect Anneli Jäätteenmäki to the premiership in 2003. Previously it was assumed that the president would nominate the candidate who, in a third round of voting, would have gained a relative majority, this usually being the leader of the party with the largest seat share in parliament. Before the 2000 constitution was enacted, full formal powers to appoint the prime minister and the rest of the government had been the privilege of the president, who was free to diverge from parliamentary principles, although the ministers appointed had to have the confidence of the parliament.
Formally, the prime minister nominates the remaining members of the government, who are then, with the consent of Parliament, appointed by the president. In practice, the seats are divided between parties during the negotiations to form the government, so that the prime minister candidate must take into account the opinions of the participating parties and cannot nominate or remove whoever they wish.
Salary and benefits[]
The prime minister's salary is €12,173 per month.[1] In addition, the prime minister receives half of the parliamentary salary. The full parliamentary salary is, as of 1 May 2011, at least €6,335 a month, so the Finnish prime minister receives at least €14,842 per month in total. The salary is subject to income tax.
The prime minister is entitled to a 30-day leave (holiday) during each calendar year. The maintenance, staff and services of Kesäranta, the official residence, is paid for by the government. The prime minister's benefits do not include free meals or meal allowance.
The prime minister has transportation and security services at their disposal at all times.
Living former prime ministers[]
As of February 2022, nine former prime ministers are alive:
Esko Aho
(1991–1995)
20 May 1954
Paavo Lipponen
(1995–2003)
23 April 1941
Anneli Jäätteenmäki
(2003)
11 February 1955
Matti Vanhanen
(2003–2010)
4 November 1955
Mari Kiviniemi
(2010–2011)
27 September 1968
Jyrki Katainen
(2011–2014)
14 October 1971
Alexander Stubb
(2014–2015)
1 April 1968
Juha Sipilä
(2015–2019)
25 April 1961
Antti Rinne
(2019)
3 November 1962
See also[]
- List of prime ministers of Finland
- Finnish Government
References[]
- ^ a b "Ministerial pay and allowances". Valtioneuvosto.
- ^ Maassa maan tavalla - tunne säännöt ja onnistu. Ulkoasiainministeriön protokollapalvelut (in Finnish). Ulkoasiainministeriö. 2008. p. 32. ISBN 978-952-281-173-8.
- ^ Guardian Staff and Agencies (9 December 2019). "Finland anoints Sanna Marin, 34, as world's youngest-serving prime minister". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ Finnish Council of State. "The Cabinet in Office". Finnish Council of State. Archived from the original on 13 November 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
External links[]
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- Prime Ministers of Finland
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