National Coalition Party ponders possible reshuffle of ministers
Häkämies may replace Kanerva as FM, MP Jari Koskinen seen as possible Defence Minister
The mounting pressure over the text messages sent by Minister for Foreign Affairs Ilkka Kanerva (Nat. Coalition Party) to dancer Johanna Tukiainen has forced the inner circle of the National Coalition Party to consider various options if the Foreign Minister is forced to resign.
No official discussions will take place before the publication of the SMS messages by the weekly entertainment magazine Hymy. Crucial from the point of view of Kanerva is whether or not the content of the messages is in line with what he has told the party's chairman, Minister of Finance Jyrki Katainen, and the leaders of the party's parliamentary group.
According to a television news report on Wednesday evening, the National Coalition Party is making contingency plans for a ministerial reshuffle.
The report, on the commercial network MTV3, said that one possible scenario would be for Finance Minister Katainen to take the post of Foreign Minister. Replacing Katainen as Finance Minister would be the present Minister of Defence Jyri Häkämies, while the new Defence Minister would be MP Jari Koskinen.
National Coalition Party figures interviewed by Helsingin Sanomat said that a more likely scenario would be for Katainen to stay on as Minister of Finance, while Häkämies would take on the post of Foreign Minister.
MP Jari Koskinen is seen as the most likely candidate for Minister of Defence.
In such a scenario, Koskinen would also have responsibility for issues related to companies in which the state is a shareholder.
The post of Foreign Minister would be difficult a difficult one for because of time constraints. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has to travel more than his duties as party leader could comfortably accommodate.
The post of Minister for Foreign Affairs might also interest Häkämies because the ministry is currently preparing a report on the question of security guarantees.
The Foreign Ministry is also dealing with important questions of crisis management.
Meanwhile, Jari Koskinen already has ministerial experience. He served as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in a government led by Paavo Lipponen (SDP) in 2002-2003.
Koskinen has been a member of the Parliament's Finance Committee from 2003, which means that he is familiar with issues of state ownership. He is a farmer by profession, and has a degree in political science.
Speaker of Parliament Sauli Niinistö would certainly be competent for all of the ministerial tasks. However, he apparently did not want to take on a ministerial post in this government, partly because his current position is a better vantage point to prepare for the next Presidential elections without the pressures of day-to-day politics inherent to work in the government.
More on this subject:
 Johanna Tukiainen: Nothing improper in Kanerva's SMS messages
Gossip magazine editor denies it was pressured on SMS issue
Previously in HS International Edition:
National Coalition Party MP calls on Kanerva to resign (18.3.2008)
COMMENTARY: More at stake than a Foreign Minister´s prestige (15.3.2008)
Party leader expresses irritation over Foreign Minister´s antics (17.3.2008)
National Coalition Party and government back Kanerva (12.3.2008)
Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Ilkka Kanerva upbraided for inappropriate SMS messages (16.6.2005)
Helsingin Sanomat
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