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.
Šaltinis:
helsinki.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
September 6, literacy courses for local residents were formally opened in the UN Representation in Chaghcharan, capital of province of Ghowr.
more »
Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas and Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini discussed perspectives of developing a bilateral dialogue, intensifying economic cooperation, etc.
more »
During the informal meeting of European Union’s foreign ministers on 4-5 September in Stockholm, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas and his counterparts discussed the issues of Afghanistan, relations with Iran...
more »
On 3 September in Vilnius, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs V. Ušackas met with Vice-President of the European Commission G. Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry, and discussed the most important issues of economy, energy and the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon.
more »
On 22 July, the Government approved of the amendments to the Labour Code proposed by the Ministry of Social Security and Labour.
more »
Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs V. Ušackas discussed the problems of Lithuanian carriers while crossing the Russian border with Igor Levitin, Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation and co-chairman of the Lithuanian-Russian intergovernmental commission.
more »
Lithuania‘s Minister of Foreign Affairs welcomed the decision of the new NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to include a joint representative of the Baltic States into a group of experts which is tasked to prepare a new Strategic Concept of NATO.
more »
On 3 August, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas met with Serbia’s Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić, who was paying a visit to Lithuania.
more »
On 30 July, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas bade farewell to outgoing Ambassador of Belgium to Lithuania Filip Cumps and thanked him for his input into fostering bilateral relations.
more »
On 29 July farewell ceremony with the departing Canadian Defence Attaché for Lithuania Jim Petryk was held in the Ministry of National Defence.
more »