Greens vote on Cronberg appointment, Kanerva becomes Foreign Minister

Disappointed Jari Koskinen rejects role as head of parliamentary wing of National Coalition Party

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As we reported briefly in an updated article yesterday, the National Coalition Party, Greens, and Swedish People's Party all announced their ministerial selections on Monday. The biggest surprise was the appointment of Ilkka Kanerva (Nat. Coal.) as the new Minister for Foreign Affairs. Only the Greens were obliged to vote on their choices, with party chair Tarja Cronberg eventually taking the Labour Minister's seat after a challenge from the party's parliamentary leader Heidi Hautala.
      The National Coalition Party chairman Jyrki Katainen, who had previously also been thought a possible foreign ministry candidate, will now become Finance Minister, while the hugely successful Sauli Niinistö - who collected 60,000 votes in the March election - is to take up the post of Speaker of Parliament.
     
Ilkka Kanerva (59), has been a Member of Parliament for more than 30 years. He has held ministerial positions in the past, but has generally been seen as something of a lightweight, so this appointment came as a surprise to many, in spite of his previous experience in the fields of foreign and security policy.
      In a sense, Kanerva provides a measure of experience in a National Coalition line-up that is otherwise short on previous ministerial qualifications.
      Jyrki Katainen (35, Finance), Anne Holmlund (43, Interior), Sari Sarkomaa (41, Education), Paula Risikko (46, Social Services), Jyrki Häkämies (45, Defence), and Jan Vapaavuori (42, Housing) are all first-timers, and Suvi Lindén (45, Communications) had a three-year stint at the Culture desk in the second government of Paavo Lipponen, but was obliged to resign in mid-term over a conflict of interest issue.
     
Sauli Niinistö declared his satisfaction with the Speaker's role, which he chose for himself, and demanded that there be changes in the way Parliament is henceforth informed about Finland's relationship towards NATO and possible membership.
      Niinistö commented that recent foreign and security policy actions have been beset with a kind of "trickle down" information flow and a shortage of real dialogue.
     
One individual who had been high on the ante-post lists of possible National Coalition ministerial appointments was Jari Koskinen. A vice-chairman of the party who was briefly a minister in the 2nd Lipponen administration in 2002-2003, Koskinen did not receive a portfolio, but was then expected to take up the position of head of the parliamentary wing of the party. Although known as a staunch supporter of Katainen, Koskinen turned down the job, apparently disappointed at being passed over.
      His refusal leaves the National Coalition slightly in a quandary over a replacement, since the other members of the party leadership sitting in the Helsinki Parliament have all taken ministerial office.
     
The Greens voted on Monday both on their participation in the government (this went unanimously in favour) and on the names of the two Green ministers. Tuija Brax was put forward unanimously for the Justice desk, but Tarja Cronberg had to fight off a challenge from parliamentary party leader Heidi Hautala, winning 35-12.
      There were no such votes required among the Swedish People's Party, with chairman Stefan Wallin (Culture & Sport) and former MEP Astrid Thors (European Affairs and Immigration) both chosen unanimously.
     
If the Centre Party follows its promised line of four men and four women filling its own eight ministerial chairs, to be announced later today, the new government will have eleven women and nine men in it.
      Much speculation has surrounded the possibility that veteran politician and former Centre Party leader Paavo Väyrynen might be given the Agriculture portfolio. Väyrynen announced publicly that he would not take up his seat in Parliament if not given a ministerial postion or a aseat on the assembly's Presidium, but would return instead to Brussels and the European Parliament.
      Parliament will choose a Prime Minister today, Tuesday. The task will go naturally to the outgoing PM Matti Vanhanen, the Centre Party's chairman, who led the government formation talks as head of the largest party in the new Parliament. The President will formally appoint the other ministers on the proposal of the Prime Minister.

More on this subject:
 UPDATE: Paavo Väyrynen returns to Finnish domestic politics to take Foreign Trade desk

Previously in HS International Edition:
  UPDATE: Katainen to be new Finance Minister, Kanerva to hold Foreign Affairs post (16.4.2007)

Links:
  Finnish Government pages

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