Presidential authority: committee divided on party lines

Left opposes further reduction of powers

Christoffer Taxell

Heli Paasio

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The work of a committee headed by former minister and Swedish People's Party chairman Christoffer Taxell on a constitutional amendment which would further reduce presidential power has become bogged down.
      On the committee, representatives of the parties of the left, the Social Democratic Party and the Left Alliance, are opposed to a partial transfer of powers from the president to the government.
      The party most eager to further limit presidential powers is the conservative National Coalition Party.
      Taxell said on Monday that the committee will not be able to keep to the deadline, which was set for the end of this month. However, he insists that the committee will issue a report, even if it might not be unanimous.
     
The progress of the work on the committee was described as “sluggish” by one of its members, veteran National Coalition Party politician Ilkka Suominen.
      He says that a “loose majority” stands behind the proposed changes against the opponents. He does not specify who these opponents are, but it is clear that he is referring to the Social Democrats.
      The SDP’s Heli Paasio notes that her party feels that it is important for the Finnish president to have real authority. “Power was reduced in connection with the previous reform. Now presidential powers are about right.”
      “The most important would be flexibility on the part of everyone”, Paasio added.
     
The committee’s deputy chair, Johannes Koskinen (SDP) is on record as opposing the idea that the presidency should be stripped of power.
      The Greens’ Pekka Haavisto wants to parliamentarise powers and increase the possibilities of Parliament to get information on foreign policy decision making.
      Haavisto’s views are therefore largely in line with those of of the National Coalition Party and the Centre Party.
     
The Centre Party’s Hannes Manninen says that the coming days will determine if the committee will put forward a unanimous proposal.
      Pekka Hallberg, the President of the Supreme Administrative Court, recently proposed a “Finnish model” as a compromise. In the proposed model, the tasks of the president would remain unchanged, but the powers of the government would be increased.
      Could that be the solution?
      “Something like that, but not as such. This week will decide”, Manninen said.
      Raimo Vistbacka (True Finn) would like to save “some power” with the president. “If not, then we could just get a king”, he noted.
      Annika Lapintie (Left Alliance) considers the present law to be balanced, and is not enthusiastic about the idea of change.
     
Taxell has brought numerous experts to meetings of the committee.
      Consequently, members of the committee have not held extensive discussions amongst themselves. Taxell has sought to patiently guide the three large parties toward a joint compromise.
      One of the people heard by the committee was former President Martti Ahtisaari, who wanted to keep powers while he was in office. Since then, he has changed his mind, and is now in favour of a ceremonial president.
      The moves to further reduce the powers of the head of state have been suggested as one reason for the cooling enthusiasm for the job by the leading candidate at present, the former National Coalition Party leader and Finance Minister Sauli Niinistö, who is currently Speaker of Parliament.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Poll: Presidential race for 2012 wide open for big parties (23.11.2009)
  Social Democrats ready to amend presidential powers (5.3.2009)
  SDP members Jaakonsaari and Alho troubled by Lipponen´s deal on presidential powers (11.3.2009)

Links:
  Finnish Constitution (Wikipedia)
  The President of the Republic of Finland

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