President Tarja Halonen says that she will not appoint people serving as politically-appointed secretaries of state in Finnish ministries to high state posts.
The matter first came up when Perttu Puro (SDP) a political secretary of state at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, applied for a post as chief of staff at the ministry. Halonen’s stance was announced to the government last week.
Halonen’s stand also means that Leila Kostiainen (SDP), who works as a political secretary of state at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, cannot be made that ministry’s chief of staff
Also applying for the post of chief of staff at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health was Markku Wallin (SDP), who unexpectedly withdrew his application.
Reportedly there have been efforts among Social Democratic women to put a woman into the post.
Halonen’s view is seen as a significant turning point in what is occasionally a very intense debate over political apointees in ministries.
In the current system, a ministry secretary of state must have the confidence of the minister in question, to whom he or she answers directly.
A proposed alternative to the secretary of state system has been one of deputy ministers, who would answer to Parliament.
The current secretaries of state are do not like the expression "political secretary of state", even though their most important tasks involve the political guidance of the ministries.
