Author and critic Lauri Otonkoski has been elected as the chairman of the Finnish branch of International PEN, the worldwide association of writers. Author and lawyer Jarkko Tontti was elected as the vice-chairman.
In the chairmanship election Otonkoski received 56 votes against journalist Johanna Korhonen’s six votes and the previous vice-chairwoman Rita Dahl’s four votes.
The result of the vote speaks clearly of the organisation’s members’ desire for the new board to start with a clean slate. Dahl and the previous chairman Jukka Mallinen’s public row had raised concerns among the members over the reputation of the Finnish PEN.
Several of the members addressing the meeting referred to the mutual vilifying campaigns in certain Internet discussion groups and on Facebook. Author Esa Sariola summarised the sentiments of the participants by saying: “Spare us from this squabble”.
Four other members of the organisation’s governing body also changed. Korhonen did not make it to the new board. Dahl was not even nominated.
