Finland's first woman PM toppled after two months
Published:
23 June 2003 y., Monday
Finland was in political upheaval on Thursday after a Nordic version of Iraqgate brought down Anneli Jaeaetteenmaeki, the country's first ever woman prime minister, after just 63 days in power.
Fresh elections were seen as unlikely, and Jaeaetteenmaeki was expected to head an interim government before handing over to her successor, tipped to be current Defense Minister Matti Vanhanen, a veteran of Jaeaetteenmaeki's own Centre Party.
Jaeaeteenmaeki resigned suddenly late Wednesday amid claims she lied to parliament about her use of leaked secret government documents.
The crisis erupted after a presidential aide, Martti Manninen, said the prime minister had misled parliament when she claimed she had not requested summaries of classified documents he sent her ahead of the March elections. Just days before the vote, Jaeaetteenmaeki cited confidential foreign ministry documents to support her claim that then-prime minister Paavo Lipponen was supporting the United States over Iraq, in clear defiance of Finland's official stand of neutrality.
President Tarja Halonen accepted Jaeaetteenmaeki's resignation, but asked her and her team to stay on until a new administration was formed. Jaeaetteenmaeki's centre-left government, inaugurated on April 17 and Finland's first to be led by a woman, lasted only 63 days.
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