President of Finland Tarja Halonen: biography, political career, family and interesting facts

Finnish Social Democrat Tarja Kaarina Halonen in February 2000 became the first woman president of Finland. The former foreign minister and politician became famous for his direct manner of communication and independent style. And although her presidential race was "nose to nose" with rivals, she soon became one of Finland's most popular leaders.

Tarja Halonen: biography

The future president was born on December 24, 1943 in Helsinki (Finland) from Vieno Olavi Halonen and Liuli Elina Loymola. When she spent her childhood in the working area of Kallio, her name and date of birth gave her an early impetus for future changes. According to her, when she was a little girl, the name "Tarja" was not in the calendars. And what else is needed to develop a passion for change, like not a birthday on Christmas Eve and a name that does not exist? "Tarja" comes from the Russian name "Daria". However, one can not ignore the fact that Halonen was born during the Second World War in the city, which was stormed by the Soviet Red Army. Despite the fact that Finland withdrew from the war as a democratic independent state, its people will not soon forget the invasion of 1939, with which the country fought alone.

Like many young people of the 1960s, Tarja Halonen participated in the leftist movement and considered Che Guevara her idol. She studied at the University of Helsinki and received a diploma in law in 1968. The following year, Halonen was involved in social issues and was the Secretary-General of the National Union of Finnish Students. In 1970, she began working as a lawyer in the Central Organization of Trade Unions of Finland.

In 1971, Tarja Halonen was admitted to the Social Democratic Party, and she continued to work on the implementation of social change. Among the many organizations to which she joined in this endeavor were the International Solidarity Fund, the Iberian-American Foundation, the Finland-Nicaragua Association and the Finland-Chile Association. The problems of international solidarity and social justice will remain an integral part throughout her life.

Tarja Halonen: political career

Halonen began her career as a politician in 1974, when Prime Minister Kalevi Sorsa appointed her secretary of parliament. She held this post for a year. In 1977, she was elected to the first of five terms in Helsinki City Council, where she worked until 1996, and in 1979 she was elected a member of parliament for the first of five consecutive terms (until 2000). Having spent five years as a deputy, Halonen began to play more prominent roles.

From 1984 to 1987, she was chairman of the Committee on Social Affairs.

From 1991 to 1995, Tarja Halonen was Deputy Chairman of the Legal Committee, and was Chairman of the Supreme Committee in 1995.

In parallel to working in the parliament, she occupied increasingly important posts in three governments. First, from 1987 to 1990 she was the Minister of Social Affairs and Health. This was followed by her appointment to the post of Minister of Nordic Cooperation from 1989 to 1991. In 1990, she became Minister of Justice for a year.

Never say never"

Then, in 1995, she was elected Minister of Foreign Affairs. This position Halonen occupied before his election to the presidency in 2000. Here she was highly appreciated by her compatriots. Among her main achievements was the post of European Union President in the second half of 1999 and a persistent opposition to Finland's membership in NATO. In 1997, she stated that her country had decided to remain outside military alliances and maintain a reliable national defense. According to her, she was not sure that the alternative would provide more stability, and the people and the political leadership agreed with this. Three years later, she softened her point of view on this issue when she said that she never said "never", but only "not now."

Nonconformity

Despite her political career, which continued to increase her fame and popularity, Tarja Halonen maintained her independence and never compromised. She married and divorced, raising her daughter as a single mother. Living in a Lutheran country, Tarja withdrew from the church. Her policies, including her advocacy for gay rights, remain radical for many Finns, especially villagers. Even her personal relationships aroused surprise when she cohabited with her longtime friend Pentti Arayarvi without the blessing of the clergy. They got married after she was elected president. But none of this fad could not prevent the political ascent of Halonen. Tarja was nominated to the presidency.

First woman president

In 1906, Finland became the first European country to grant women the right to vote. About 94 years later, she elected her first female president. But this historic moment was not without a stubborn struggle.

At the beginning of the 2000 elections, Halonen ranked fourth in the opinion polls. Its main competitor, the conservative former ex-prime minister Esko Aho, emphasized her unusualness and leftism, especially in front of her voters from the remote area. Nevertheless, to the January 16 elections, Tarja scored 39.9% of the vote, compared with 34.6% of Akho. This was not enough to win, as it required a preponderance of more than 50%. On February 6, a tense second round of elections took place. This time, she received 51.6% of the vote, compared with 48.4% given to her opponent.

Tarja Halonen, the first woman president of Finland, took office as the eleventh leader of the country on March 1, 2000.

Her victory was mainly due to her ability to attract the voices of conservative women and a straightforward manner of behavior. Former Prime Minister of Finland Paavo Lipponen, leader of the Social Democrats, said that Halonen is a man with his own individuality, openness, and whose real character found a response in the ranks of the party. Whatever the reasons for her victory, the newly elected president soon gained immense popularity.

Unusual and wildly popular

Shortly before assuming office Halonen, Finland adopted a new constitution that transferred more powers to parliament, limiting the president's ability to influence domestic affairs. Although the country's leader continued to play a significant role in the foreign arena, Tarja soon made it clear that she did not intend to be a nominal figure. At the same time, she did not disregard the fact that the people who placed high hopes on her could remain with nothing because of the limited power that she received. According to her, when the parliament reduced the powers of the president, the expectations and demands of the people for fulfilling a certain role in domestic politics increased. In any case, the wings were only cut, not cut off, and Halonen retained control of such a vital institution as the army.

Wedding contrary

Immediately after the elections, the journalists asked Tarja Arajarvi's friend about the couple's marriage plans. He admitted that this issue was discussed, but said that he would not make a proposal publicly and would not publicly discuss whether he would do it or not. Nevertheless, for the observance of traditions or for other reasons, in August 2000 the couple privately married.

The wedding of Halonen was one of the few concessions of her new position, to which she was ready to go.

Moomin Mom

In general, Tarja behaved as usual. Her position on issues such as Scandinavian public welfare, human rights and environmental protection remained unchanged. In fact, she remained consistent throughout most of her career. Her personal style did not change. Strong words, intolerance to boasting and a special sense of fashion remained her distinctive features. Tarja retained her love for art, swimming, her domestic cats and a turtle. All this contributed to the creation of the image of a sociable and direct woman, which placed the society in Halonen. The Swedish press nicknamed her "Mumi-Mama" by the name of a Finnish animated character, created by the late Finnish artist and writer Tove Jansson. Halonen's ratings ranged from 94-97% percent, sometimes slipping to "simple" 85%. In 2004, she became the only living person who was ever included in the popular television nomination of the ten greatest Finns. In other words, Halonen has become one of the most popular presidents of Finland of all time.

Ceres Medal and other awards

In addition to tremendous popularity, woman president Tarja Halonen has earned respect from her peers both at home and abroad. By 2004, she had at least nine honorary degrees from universities, including the Chinese Academy of Forestry in Beijing (2002), the Women's University of Ikhua of the Republic of Korea (2002) and the Bluefields University in Nicaragua (2004). In addition, she received awards such as the Ceres Medal of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2002) and the 2004 Grameen American Humanitarian Award, the Deutsche Bank Award for a "Global Vision and Humanistic Perspective."

In January 2006, Tarja was re-elected for a second term and resigned on March 1, 2012. Since then, she managed to lead the UN working group, the non-profit Helsinki Sustainability Center, the World Wildlife Fund's administrative board and become chairman of the board of the Finnish National Gallery.

Redhead in the country of blondes

This is a woman who should not be underestimated. Do not be deceived, the president of Finland Tarja Halonen is a unconformist conformist. Fiery red-haired blondes in the country, she is very proud that her presidency has become a source of inspiration for Finnish women. And not only for them - Tarja received hundreds of letters from little girls, and she hopes that she will be able to inspire them.

With typical straightforwardness and a sense of humor, Halonen Tarja showed herself extremely accurately when she appeared on stage in 2003 with the godfather of soul, James Brown. Refusing to sing with him, she thanked Mr. Brown for coming, and replied that she was not a show-gerl. Perhaps it is, but she agreed to dance with him.