Petteri Orpo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Petteri Orpo
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Official portrait, 2023
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| 47th Prime Minister of Finland | |
| Assumed office 20 June 2023 |
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| President | Sauli Niinistö Alexander Stubb |
| Deputy | Riikka Purra |
| Preceded by | Sanna Marin |
| Speaker of the Parliament of Finland | |
| In office 12 April 2023 – 20 June 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Matti Vanhanen |
| Succeeded by | Jussi Halla-aho |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Finland | |
| In office 28 June 2017 – 6 June 2019 |
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| Prime Minister | Juha Sipilä |
| Preceded by | Timo Soini |
| Succeeded by | Mika Lintilä |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 22 June 2016 – 6 June 2019 |
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| Prime Minister | Juha Sipilä |
| Preceded by | Alexander Stubb |
| Succeeded by | Mika Lintilä |
| Leader of the National Coalition Party | |
| Assumed office 11 June 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Alexander Stubb |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 29 May 2015 – 22 June 2016 |
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| Prime Minister | Juha Sipilä |
| Preceded by | Päivi Räsänen |
| Succeeded by | Paula Risikko |
| Minister of Agriculture and Forestry | |
| In office 24 June 2014 – 29 May 2015 |
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| Prime Minister | Alexander Stubb |
| Preceded by | Jari Koskinen |
| Succeeded by | Kimmo Tiilikainen |
| Member of the Finnish Parliament for Finland Proper | |
| Assumed office 21 March 2007 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Antti Petteri Orpo
3 November 1969 Köyliö, Satakunta, Finland |
| Political party | National Coalition Party |
| Spouse | Niina Kanniainen-Orpo |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Turku (MA) |
Antti Petteri Orpo (born 3 November 1969) is a Finnish politician. He is currently the prime minister of Finland, a role he has held since 2023. He has also been the leader of the National Coalition Party since 2016. Before becoming prime minister, he briefly served as the speaker of the Parliament of Finland after the 2023 election.
Petteri Orpo has held several important government jobs. From 2017 to 2019, he was the Deputy Prime Minister of Finland. He was also the Minister of Finance from 2016 to 2019. Earlier, he served as Minister of the Interior (2015–2016) and Minister of Agriculture and Forestry (2014–2015). In the 2023 parliamentary election, his party won the most votes, getting 20.8% and 48 seats.
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Early life and education
Petteri Orpo was born in Köyliö, Finland, on November 3, 1969. His father, Hannu Orpo, was also a politician from the National Coalition Party. Petteri Orpo finished high school at Köyliön lukio. He then earned a master's degree in political science from the University of Turku. Orpo also completed Finland's mandatory national armed service. He became a reserve officer and holds the rank of captain.
Political career
Minister of the Interior
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As Minister of the Interior, Orpo was in charge during the 2015 migration crisis in Europe. He received support for how he handled the situation from other political parties.
Minister of Finance
In May 2016, Orpo decided to run for the leader of the National Coalition Party. He challenged the current leader, Alexander Stubb, who was also the Minister of Finance. Orpo was seen as someone who sought agreement, unlike Stubb. Orpo won the election and became the new party leader.
He then took over Stubb's role as the Minister of Finance on June 22, 2016. In 2017, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Orpo announced that their parties could no longer work with the Finns Party. They had different views on important topics like immigration and EU policies. Both Sipilä and Orpo wanted to make big changes to healthcare and local government. These changes were important for their plan to balance Finland's public finances (the government's money).
Orpo also helped lead meetings for European finance ministers from center-right parties. These meetings happened before important European Union economic discussions.
Opposition politics
In December 2019, Orpo tried to get a vote of no-confidence against the government. This means he wanted to show that Parliament no longer supported the prime minister. If successful, it could lead to new elections, which Orpo hoped to win. The government was criticized for how it handled problems in the job market.
Prime Minister of Finland (2023–present)
2023 parliamentary elections
On April 2, 2023, Petteri Orpo's National Coalition Party won the 2023 Finnish parliamentary election. His party had been leading in polls since 2021. They finished first with 20.8% of the votes and gained 10 more seats, reaching 48 seats in Parliament. This was one of the party's best election results ever.
After the election, Orpo started talks to form a new government. He wanted to reduce Finland's government debt (money the government owes) and the yearly budget deficit (when the government spends more than it earns). He also wanted to lower income taxes. Orpo describes himself as a "fiscal conservative," meaning he believes in careful spending of government money.
On April 12, Orpo was chosen by Parliament to be the Speaker of the Parliament of Finland temporarily. This was until a new government could be formed. On April 27, Orpo announced he would form a coalition government. This group included his party, the Finns Party, the Swedish People's Party, and the Christian Democrats. The new government was confirmed on June 15, and the ministers were announced on June 17. Orpo's party received eight government positions. This new government is considered one of Finland's most right-wing governments since World War II.
Tenure
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Orpo became Prime Minister of Finland on June 20, 2023. His government plans to cut public spending. Petteri Orpo announced a €6 billion cut to the state budget. He said that the biggest danger to Finland was its "debt crisis." He also stated that some reforms would be difficult.
The government plans to make big cuts to social benefits. For example, it will be harder to get unemployment benefits. A one-day waiting period will be added for sick leave. Access to housing benefits will also be limited. The right to strike will be restricted, and fines will be given for unauthorized work stoppages. The government also plans to make it easier for companies to end employment and use temporary contracts.
Employers welcomed these plans, saying they had wanted these changes for decades. However, unions said these changes would hurt employees. Other political parties also criticized the plans, saying they would be hard on people with low and middle incomes.
Regarding immigration, the government will make it harder to get asylum. People will need to live in Finland for six full years to apply for a permanent residence permit. Rules for family reunification and becoming a citizen will also be stricter. Finland will only accept 500 refugees per year through a special program, down from 1,050. Immigrant workers will have different social rights than permanent residents. They will have to leave the country within three months if they lose their job.
During his first month as prime minister, there were some challenges within his cabinet. One minister resigned due to past writings. Orpo's leadership during these issues was questioned by some.
Orpo spoke out against Hamas' actions during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. He said he supported Israel and its right to defend itself. In 2019, Orpo helped create a group of finance ministers focused on climate action. However, his current Finance Minister stated in 2024 that climate issues are not her responsibility.
Other activities
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Petteri Orpo has also been involved in several important international groups:
European Union organizations
- European Investment Bank (EIB), Member of the Board of Governors (2016–2019)
- European Stability Mechanism (ESM), Member of the Board of Governors (2016–2019)
International organizations
- Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Member of the Board of Governors (2016–2019)
- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Member of the Board of Governors (2016–2019)
- Joint World Bank-IMF Development Committee, Member (2018–2019)
- Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), World Bank Group, Member of the Board of Governors (2016–2019)
- Nordic Investment Bank (NIB), Member of the Board of Governors (2016–2019)
- World Bank, Member of the Board of Governors (2016–2019)
Honors and awards
Order of the White Rose of Finland (Finland, 2016)
Military merit medal (Finland)
Grand Cross of Merit for Finnish Sports Culture and Sport (Finland, 2022)
Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (Poland, 2015)
See also
In Spanish: Petteri Orpo para niños
