Matti Vanhanen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Matti Vanhanen
|
|
|---|---|
Vanhanen in 2022
|
|
| Speaker of the Parliament of Finland | |
| In office 1 February 2022 – 12 April 2023 |
|
| Preceded by | Anu Vehviläinen |
| Succeeded by | Petteri Orpo |
| In office 7 June 2019 – 9 June 2020 |
|
| Preceded by | Antti Rinne |
| Succeeded by | Anu Vehviläinen |
| 40th Prime Minister of Finland | |
| In office 24 June 2003 – 22 June 2010 |
|
| President | Tarja Halonen |
| Deputy | Antti Kalliomäki Eero Heinäluoma Jyrki Katainen |
| Preceded by | Anneli Jäätteenmäki |
| Succeeded by | Mari Kiviniemi |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 9 June 2020 – 27 May 2021 |
|
| Prime Minister | Sanna Marin |
| Preceded by | Katri Kulmuni |
| Succeeded by | Annika Saarikko |
| 35th Deputy Prime Minister of Finland | |
| In office 9 June 2020 – 10 September 2020 |
|
| Prime Minister | Sanna Marin |
| Preceded by | Katri Kulmuni |
| Succeeded by | Annika Saarikko |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 17 April 2003 – 24 June 2003 |
|
| Prime Minister | Anneli Jäätteenmäki |
| Preceded by | Jan-Erik Enestam |
| Succeeded by | Seppo Kääriäinen |
| Member of the Finnish Parliament | |
| In office 22 April 2015 – 12 April 2023 |
|
| Constituency | Uusimaa |
| In office 22 March 1991 – 19 September 2010 |
|
| Constituency | Uusimaa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 November 1955 Jyväskylä, Central Finland, Finland |
| Political party | Centre |
| Spouse |
Merja Mäntyniemi
(m. 1985; div. 2005) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Helsinki |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Finland |
| Branch/service |  Finnish Army |
| Rank |  Vääpeli |
Matti Taneli Vanhanen (born 4 November 1955) is a Finnish politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Finland from 2003 to 2010. He was also the leader of the Centre Party in 2006. Before becoming a politician, Vanhanen worked as a journalist. His father was professor Tatu Vanhanen.
Contents
Education and Early Career
Matti Vanhanen studied at the University of Helsinki. He earned a Master's degree in Social Sciences in 1989.
He was the chairman of the Centre Party Youth League from 1980 to 1983. He also served on the Espoo City Council from 1981 to 1984. Vanhanen worked as an editor and editor-in-chief for a local newspaper called Kehäsanomat.
Political Journey
Vanhanen was first elected to the Parliament of Finland in 1991. As a Member of Parliament, he was very interested in environmental issues. He served on the Parliamentary Environment Committee from 1991 to 1995. He also chaired the Parliamentary Grand Committee from 2000 to 2001.
He was also interested in Finland's foreign and security policy. He was a member of the Convention on the Future of Europe, which helped create the European Union's constitution. Vanhanen has described himself as an "EU pragmatist," meaning he is practical about European cooperation.
Becoming Prime Minister
In 2003, Vanhanen became the Minister of Defence. This was part of the government led by Prime Minister Anneli Jäätteenmäki. After Jäätteenmäki resigned, Vanhanen was chosen to be the new Prime Minister. His first government, known as Vanhanen's first cabinet, was then formed.
As Prime Minister, Vanhanen's government made some changes to taxes. They lowered the top state income tax rate and also reduced the corporate tax rate.
Presidential Election Campaign
In the 2006 Finnish presidential election, Vanhanen ran as the candidate for the Centre Party. He challenged the sitting President, Tarja Halonen. Vanhanen received 18.6% of the votes, placing third. He did not get enough votes to go to the second round of the election.
Vanhanen's Second Government
After the 2007 Finnish parliamentary election, the Centre Party remained the largest party. Vanhanen's second cabinet was formed with the National Coalition Party, the Green League, and the Swedish People's Party.
In December 2009, Vanhanen announced he would step down as the leader of the Centre Party in June 2010. Mari Kiviniemi was chosen as the new leader and became Prime Minister. In September 2010, Vanhanen left Parliament to lead the Family Business Network Finland.
Return to Politics
In November 2014, Vanhanen announced he would leave the Family Business Network. He was re-elected to Parliament in the 2015 elections. In June 2015, he became the chairman of the Centre Party's group in Parliament.
In March 2016, Vanhanen announced he would seek the Centre Party's nomination for the 2018 Finnish presidential election. He was confirmed as the party's candidate. He said he wanted to improve Finland's security. In the election, Vanhanen placed fifth.
After being re-elected in the 2019 Finnish parliamentary election, Vanhanen was chosen as the Speaker of the Parliament.
In June 2020, Vanhanen was appointed Minister of Finance after Katri Kulmuni resigned. He accepted the role out of a sense of duty. In May 2021, he resigned from this post, handing it over to the new party chair, Annika Saarikko.
Vanhanen has supported Finland joining NATO. In 2022, he publicly supported Finland's membership. In 2023, as the Speaker of the Parliament, he signed the Parliament's approval for Finland to join the military alliance.
Personality and Life
Matti Vanhanen is known for being calm and steady. .....
He visited China in 2009 and was impressed by how quickly they could make decisions and get things done. He thought the Western world could learn from this.
Matti Vanhanen married Merja Vanhanen in 1985. They had two children, Annastiina (born 1991) and Juhana (born 1994). They divorced in 2005.
Vanhanen has two homes. He lives mainly in Lepsämä, a village in Nurmijärvi, and spends weekends in Rauma. He is about 198 centimeters (6 feet 6 inches) tall and is left-handed.
Cabinets
- Vanhanen I Cabinet
- Vanhanen II Cabinet
Honours
Finland Order of the Lion of Finland (1999)
Finland, Grand Cross, Order of the White Rose of Finland (2004)
Estonia, 1st Class, Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (2007)
Italy, Knight Grand Cross with Collar, Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2008)
Sweden, Commander Grand Cross, Order of the Polar Star
Greece, Grand Cross, Order of the Phoenix (Greece)
_-_Commander_Grand_Cross.svg){kind=small}
See also
In Spanish: Matti Vanhanen para niños
- Keskusta
