Centre Party makes about-turn on keeping President’s powers over crisis management troops

Change of heart takes National Coalition Party by surprise; SDP looks on contentedly

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Finland’s main opposition party, the Social Democrats, were smiling contentedly on Wednesday, while the government coalition member the National Coalition Party was at a loss to explain the suddent desire of their partners in the Centre Party to maintain the President’s current powers of having the final word when it comes to sending Finnish crisis management troops abroad.
      According to Pekka Ravi, Chairman of the National Coalition Party's parliamentary group, the Constitutional Committee led by Christoffer Taxell worked long and hard and was committed to the decision reached, so the Centre Party’s latest about-turn “came as a real surprise”.
     
In the proposal by Taxell’s committee, the President’s powers would be limited by a clause according to which the government could seek support from Parliament should the President and the government have differing opinions with regard to certain international issues.
      If supported by Parliament, the government’s view would win.
      One such international issue could be for example the participation of Finnish troops in international crisis management operations.
      Now, the Centre Party is of the opinion that the President’s powers must not be abrogated with regard to crisis management issues. Instead, all three - the President, Parliament, and the government of the day – would have to agree on sending troops.
      In Ravi’s view a situation where the three main foreign policy actors would not be in an agreement with regard to a crisis management operation is extremely hypothetical.
     
The Social Democratic Party declared immediately after the announcement of the Taxell committee resolution that it would expect some changes to be made to it by Parliament. This vexed other parties, as the SDP members of the committee had not filed any differing opinions in the final statement.
      Jutta Urpilainen, the leader of the Social Democrats, said on Wednesday that because of the statement made by the Centre Party the formulation of the clause in question of the constitution proposal has to be rediscussed.
      The SDP parliamentary group leader Eero Heinäluoma interprets it that the Centre Party has decided to agree with the SDP’s view when it comes to the sending of crisis management troops.
      According to Heinäluoma, the decision to deploy troops is a central part of the President’s foreign and security policy leadership.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Presidential authority: committee divided on party lines (24.11.2009)
  Differences among parties could dilute reform of presidential powers (14.4.2009)

See also:
  President and Prime Minister still at odds over EU summit issue (3.12.2009)

Helsingin Sanomat