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Prime Minister of Finland
Logo of the Prime Minister of Finland.svg
Logo used by the Prime Minister’s Office
Petteri-Orpo-01 (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Petteri Orpo
since 20 June 2023
Executive branch of the Finnish Government
Prime Minister's Office
Style
Member of
Residence Kesäranta
Appointer President
Term length Four years, renewable
Precursor Vice-Chairman of the Economic Division of the Senate of Finland
Formation 27 November 1917; 107 years ago (1917-11-27)
First holder Pehr Evind Svinhufvud
Salary €202,350 annually


The prime minister of Finland (Finnish: Suomen pääministeri; Swedish: Finlands statsminister) is the main leader of the Finnish Government. The prime minister and their team, called the cabinet, are in charge of running the country.

Even though the prime minister is officially third in importance after the president of Finland and the speaker of the Parliament, they are usually the most powerful person in charge. Finland's first prime minister, Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, started his job on November 27, 1917. This was just a few days before Finland officially became an independent country.

The current prime minister is Petteri Orpo from the National Coalition Party. He became prime minister on June 20, 2023.

How the Prime Minister's Role Began

In 1918, the group that used to run Finland, called the Senate of Finland, changed its name to the Government of Finland. At the same time, the job of "vice-chairman of the Economic Division" became the prime minister.

Since 1919, the prime minister's official home has been Kesäranta. It is located in Helsinki, the capital city of Finland.

Finland became independent in 1917. Since then, the country has had 72 different governments. The longest-lasting governments were led by Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen. His two governments each lasted for a full four-year term, which is 1,464 days.

  • Pääministerien juhlalounas 27.9.2022

    A special lunch for Finland's Prime Ministers on September 27, 2022.

  • Kesäranta talvella 2

    Kesäranta, the official home of the Prime Minister of Finland, in Helsinki.

Choosing the Prime Minister

The prime minister is chosen after a parliamentary election. These elections happen every four years.

Here is how it works:

  • First, the different political parties in the parliament talk to each other.
  • They decide which parties will work together to form a new government.
  • They also agree on a plan for what the new government will do.
  • After these talks, the president of Finland suggests a person to be the prime minister.
  • The parliament then votes on this person. The person needs to get more than half of the votes to become prime minister.
  • If the first person suggested does not get enough votes, the parties talk again. The president then suggests someone else.
  • If the second person also does not get enough votes, there is a third vote. In this vote, any member of parliament can suggest a candidate. The person with the most votes wins.

This way of choosing the prime minister was first used in 2003. That is when Anneli Jäätteenmäki became prime minister.

Once the prime minister is chosen, they suggest the other people who will be part of the government. These people are called ministers. The president then officially appoints them. However, in reality, the different parties already decided who would be ministers during their earlier talks. So, the prime minister must work with the parties to choose the team.

Prime Minister's Pay and Benefits

The prime minister of Finland earns a salary of about €12,173 each month. They also get half of what a regular member of parliament earns. This means their total monthly pay is at least €14,842. This money is taxed like any other income.

The prime minister also gets 30 days of vacation each year. The government pays for the upkeep, staff, and services at Kesäranta, their official residence. However, the prime minister does not get free meals or a meal allowance.

For travel and safety, the prime minister always has transportation and security services available to them.

Timeline

Petteri Orpo Sanna Marin Antti Rinne Juha Sipilä Alexander Stubb Jyrki Katainen Mari Kiviniemi Matti Vanhanen Anneli Jäätteenmäki Paavo Lipponen Esko Aho Harri Holkeri Eino Uusitalo Keijo Liinamaa Kalevi Sorsa Teuvo Aura Mauno Koivisto Rafael Paasio Johannes Virolainen Reino Ragnar Lehto Ahti Karjalainen Martti Miettunen Eemil Luukka Reino Kuuskoski Rainer von Fieandt V. J. Sukselainen Ralf Törngren Sakari Tuomioja Urho Kekkonen Karl-August Fagerholm Mauno Pekkala Carl Enckell Urho Castrén Antti Hackzell Edwin Linkomies Johan Wilhelm Rangell Rudolf Walden Risto Ryti Rudolf Holsti Toivo Mikael Kivimäki Oskari Mantere Juho Sunila Väinö Tanner Antti Tulenheimo Kyösti Kallio Aimo Cajander Rafael Erich Juho Vennola Kaarlo Castrén Lauri Ingman Juho Kusti Paasikivi Pehr Evind Svinhufvud

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Primer ministro de Finlandia para niños

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