The Prime Minister of Finland serves as the Head of Government. The person in this position is nominated by the President after Parliament has determined the new member of the Council of State. This nomination must be confirmed by Parliament with a majority vote. The Prime Minister of Finland is an important political leader in the country and throughout the rest of Europe.

　　

Prime Ministers of the Republic of Finland

The First Prime Minister Of Finland

Pehr Evind Svinhufvud was the first Prime Minister of Finland and served from November of 1917 to May of 1918. Prior to becoming Prime Minister, Svinhufvud had been a member of Parliament under the Russian Empire. Because of his anti-Russian stance, he was exiled to Siberia between 1914 and 1917. He returned to Finland at the beginning of the Russian Revolution, when he became Prime Minister. His term was marked by the Finnish Civil War during which he kept the Communist Party at bay and pushed the interests of the right-leaning parties. He went on to become President of the country between 1931 and 1937.

　　

The Longest Serving Prime Minister Of Finland

The longest serving Prime Minister in Finland’s history, from April of 1995 to April of 2003, was Paavo Lipponen. He was the 59th person to hold this office. He had previously served in Parliament and in 1993, became chairman of the Social Democratic Party. After winning the election and the nomination for Prime Minister in 1995, Lipponen appointed a cabinet of 5 different political parties, supporters from each side of the social and economic spectrum. He is remembered for his right-leaning economic views. Reducing the unemployment rate of the country was his cabinet’s goal. Under his term, Finland began using the Euro, foreign trade increased, and new constitutional laws were passed.

　　

The Current Prime Minister Of Finland

The current Prime Minister of Finland is Juha Sipilä. He has held this position since May of 2015 after serving as Leader of the Centre Party since 2012. Under his guidance, the Centre Party won an additional 14 seats in Parliament during the 2015 election. As Prime Minister, one of his first acts was to create a three-party majority coalition among his political party, the Finns Party, and the National Coalition Party. One of his biggest challenges as Prime Minister has been the declining Finnish economy. In order to combat this, Sipilä has worked to cut government spending (including in public education) and to reduce labor costs. Neither of these approaches has been popular with the general public

　　Additional Prime Ministers can be found in the chart published below.

　　

Duties Of The Prime Minister Of Finland

The Prime Minister of Finland is responsible for nominating the members of the Council of Seats. Additionally, the Prime Minister may submit resignation notifications to the President for members of the government. The Prime Minister supervises the work of the Ministers and ensures proper performance within government programs. In order to carry out this role, the Prime Minister may also lead and schedule government sessions, choosing topics for the agenda. The person in this position also coordinates the European Union policies for the country, as well as government communications and state ownership policies.