Battle for the Centre Party chair is warming up

Anu Vehviläinen steps out - Mari Kiviniemi steps in

Anu Vehviläinen

Mari Kiviniemi

Paula Lehtomäki

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Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen’s announcement at the end of 2009 that he has decided to give up the post of Chairman of the Centre Party automatically prompted speculations relating to his successor to the Centre Party leadership.
      Potential candidates as Vanhanen’s successor in the early betting included at least ministers Anu Vehviläinen, Mari Kiviniemi, Paula Lehtomäki, and most recently Paavo Väyrynen.
     
Minister of Transport Anu Vehviläinen now says she does not intend to enter the chairmanship race, according to the Centre Party daily Suomenmaa on its website. Vehviläinen explains that her decision is based on family reasons and the interests of the party.
      Vehviläinen notes that she made her decision after discussing with her family, her supporters, and the leaders of the Centre Party’s North Karelia district association.
     
Vehviläinen says that her present position as a minister already keeps her in Helsinki away from home more than half of every week.
      ”My own choice is no message to anybody as it is based on my personal feelings. I hope that the race will include several candidates and that a genuine debate on the future of the Centre Party will arise. As for the election of a new leader, I feel that it would be time for a younger generation to take office”, Vehviläinen was quoted as saying in an interview with Suomenmaa and another Centre Party affiliated newspaper Karjalan Maa.
     
Minister of Public Administration and Local Government Mari Kiviniemi is on the other hand likely to seek the party chairman’s job.
      According to the information received by the Finnish News Agency (STT), Kiviniemi is expected to make an official statement concerning her intentions in a couple of weeks.
      Kiviniemi is 41 and has a Master’s degree in Social Sciences. She has been serving as a Member of Parliament since 1995.
      Previously she was also substituting for Paula Lehtomäki as the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development during her maternity leave.
     
So far nobody has actually come out and declared officially that they would run for the party leadership, but Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen, 63, has commented at a press conference earlier this week that he is ”not ruling out” his participation in the contest.
     
Minister of the Environment Paula Lehtomäki, who has been mentioned in some quarters as the primary challenger, has said that she will disclose her intentions early in the year - in other words, very soon.
     
The Centre Party will choose a new leader at the Party Congress in Lahti in June of this year, and the move has already stirred discussion of whether the new chairman will become Prime Minister for the remaining year or so of the current coalition government, before elections in 2011.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Other Centre Party MPs do not warm to Väyrynen´s views on party chairman’s age (7.1.2010)
  COMMENTARY: Christmas break gives Centre Party figures time to consider Party leadership issue (15.12.2009)
  Veteran Centre Party politician Paavo Väyrynen hints at run for leadership (5.1.2010)
  Vanhanen: careful consideration behind decision to give up Centre Party leadership (31.12.2009)

Links:
  Centre Party of Finland

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