Speaker of Parliament Sauli Niinistö (Nat. Coalition Party) urges people to listen to President Tarja Halonen in the dispute over Presidential powers, according to a news report on Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE).
Niinistö said in an interview on YLE on Sunday that it would be good to listen to the views of President Halonen specifically now, because she does not have any personal interest in the matter.
President Halonen is in her last term as President, and any constitutional changes to Presidential powers would not take effect until after she leaves office.
Niinistö warned against nullifying the role of the Presidency in Finnish politics.
Niinistö is currently seen as a leading contender as the next President. However, he would not comment on his possible ambitions for the office in Sunday’s interview
Former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen has sharply criticised the tone of the debate over Presidential powers as disrespectful toward the President.
In a YLE television interview programme on Saturday morning, Lipponen directly criticised MP Kimmo Sasi (Nat. Coalition Party), the chairman of Parliament’s Constitutional Law Committee, saying that he had gone too far in his criticism of the institution of the Presidency.
