Matti Taneli Vanhanen (pronunciation (help· info)) (born November 4, 1955, in Jyväskylä) is the current Prime Minister of Finland, as well as Chairman of the Centre Party. In the second half of 2006 he was President of the European Council. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2272x3000, 1079 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Matti Vanhanen ... The Prime Minister (Finnish Pääministeri, Swedish: Statsminister) is the head of government in Finland. ... The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... June 24 is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 190 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Anneli Jäätteenmäki, Prime Minister 2003, MEP 2004- Anneli Tuulikki Jäätteenmäki (Master of Laws, born February 11, 1955 in Lapua) was the first female Prime Minister of Finland, in office April 17th, 2003, to June 18th, 2003. ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fireworks in Jyväskylä Jyväskylä (IPA: [jyʋæsËŒkylæ]) is a city located in central Finland, 147 km from Tampere and 270 km from Helsinki, near the lakes Päijänne and Keitele. ... The Centre Party (Finnish: Suomen Keskusta) is a centrist political party in Finland. ... Image File history File links Fi-Matti_Vanhanen. ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fireworks in Jyväskylä Jyväskylä (IPA: [jyʋæsËŒkylæ]) is a city located in central Finland, 147 km from Tampere and 270 km from Helsinki, near the lakes Päijänne and Keitele. ... The Prime Minister (Finnish Pääministeri, Swedish: Statsminister) is the head of government in Finland. ... Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Liberal parties | Finnish political parties | Nordic Agrarian parties ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The European Council, sometimes informally called the European Summit, is a meeting of the heads of state or government of the European Union, and the President of the European Commission (not to be confused with the Council of the European Union, or the Council of Europe). ...

Career

Vanhanen was born in Jyväskylä, the son of the controversial professor Tatu Vanhanen, co-author of IQ and the Wealth of Nations, and Anni Tiihonen. Fireworks in Jyväskylä Jyväskylä (IPA: [jyʋæsËŒkylæ]) is a city located in central Finland, 147 km from Tampere and 270 km from Helsinki, near the lakes Päijänne and Keitele. ... Tatu Vanhanen is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland. ... IQ and the Wealth of Nations IQ and the Wealth of Nations is a controversial 2002 book by Dr. Richard Lynn, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, and Dr. Tatu Vanhanen, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland[1]. The...

Vanhanen, who is left-handed [1], has a university education in political science, having graduated as a Master of Social Sciences in 1989. In his youth he was chair of the Centre Party Youth League from 1980 to 1983. He also served as a member of Espoo city council from 1981 to 1984. Vanhanen is a journalist by profession, having worked as an editor of local newspaper Kehäsanomat 1985–1988 and editor-in-chief 1988–1991. People who are left-handed are more dextrous with their left hand than with their right hand: they will probably also use their left hand for tasks such as personal care, cooking, and so on. ... Political science is the field of the social sciences concerning the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior. ... The social sciences are groups of academic disciplines that study the human aspects of the world. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Founded 1972 Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Area - Of which land - Rank 528 km² 312 km² ranked 279th Population - Density - Change - Rank 229,443 (2005) 729 inh. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Vanhanen was elected as a member of Finnish Parliament (Eduskunta) in 1991. As a member of Parliament he was interested in ecological issues. For instance, Vanhanen spoke against the building of a fifth nuclear power plant in 1992, at the same time as serving on the board of electricity corporation Fortum. He served on the Parliamentary Environment Committee 1991-1995, and was chair of the Parliamentary Grand Committee 2000-2001. He was vice chair of the Centre Party Parliamentary group 1994-2001, and Deputy Chairman of the Centre Party 2000-2003. The Eduskunta (in Finnish), or the Riksdag (in Swedish), is the Parliament of Finland. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A nuclear power station. ... Fortum (before 1998 IVO and Neste) is a Finnish public listed energy company which operates in Nordic countries and in Baltic countries and in Poland. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Another important topic for Vanhanen was Finland's foreign and security policy. As a specialist on the European Union he was a member of the European Union Constitutional Convention. There he criticized the president of the convention Giscard d'Estaing as authoritarian. Vanhanen has said [2] that he is unenthusiastic about European co-operation, and that he is an "EU pragmatist", so he may be considered an eurosceptic, especially when compared to his EU-enthusiast predecessor Paavo Lipponen. Finland’s basic foreign policy goal, from the end of the Continuation War with the U.S.S.R. in 1944 until 1991, was to avoid great-power conflicts and to build mutual confidence with the Soviet Union. ... The European Convention, sometimes known as the Convention on the Future of Europe, was a body established by the European Council in December 2001 as a result of the Laeken Declaration. ... Valéry Marie René Giscard dEstaing [IPA: vɑleʀi mɑʀi ʀəne ʒiskɑʀ dɛstɛ̃] (born 2 February 1926 in Koblenz, Germany) is a French center-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981. ... The term authoritarian is used to describe an organization or a state which enforces strong and sometimes oppressive measures against the population, generally without attempts at gaining the consent of the population. ... Euroscepticism (a portmanteau word derived from European and scepticism) has become a general term for opposition to the process of European integration. ... Paavo Lipponen Paavo Tapio Lipponen (b. ...

Vanhanen resigned from the Constitutional Convention in 2003 when he became Minister of Defense in the cabinet of Prime Minister Anneli Jäätteenmäki. After Jäätteenmäki's resignation, Vanhanen was elected Prime Minister. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Anneli Jäätteenmäki, Prime Minister 2003, MEP 2004- Anneli Tuulikki Jäätteenmäki (Master of Laws, born February 11, 1955 in Lapua) was the first female Prime Minister of Finland, in office April 17th, 2003, to June 18th, 2003. ...

As a politician, Vanhanen is considered to be part of the liberal wing of the old agrarian Central Party, along with the two other Party ministers from Uusimaa region. His government did cut top income tax rate from 35.5% to 33.5% in 2005 and 32.5% in 2006 along with corporate tax rate to 26% (former 29%) and capital gains to 28%. Vanhanen has said he is willing to continue tax cuts. Uusimaa (Nyland) is a region (maakunta / landskap) in Southern Finland. ...

Presidential candidate

As the Centre Party candidate, Vanhanen challenged President Tarja Halonen in the 2006 Finnish presidential election, but did not qualify for the runoff. He received 18.6% of the vote, coming third to the National Coalition Party's Sauli Niinistö (24.1%) and Social Democrat and incumbent Tarja Halonen (46.3%). Vanhanen expressed his support for Niinistö in the runoff election against his coalition partner's candidate Halonen. The Centre Party (Finnish: Suomen Keskusta) is a centrist political party in Finland. ... The President of Finland (Suomen Tasavallan Presidentti; Republiken Finlands President) is the Head of State of Finland. ... Tarja Kaarina Halonen (IPA: ) (born December 24, 1943, in Helsinki, Finland) is the President of Finland. ... The 2006 Finnish Presidential election saw the reelection of Tarja Halonen as President of Finland for a second six-year term. ... The National Coalition Party (Kansallinen Kokoomus or Samlingspartiet) is a political party in Finland. ... Sauli Niinistö Sauli Väinämö Niinistö (born August 24, 1948, Salo, Finland) is a Director at the European Investment Bank, a lawyer, former Finnish finance minister and was the Kokoomus candidate in the 2006 presidential election. ... The Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP) is one of the most influential political parties in Finland, along with the Centre Party and the Coalition Party. ... Tarja Kaarina Halonen (IPA: ) (born December 24, 1943, in Helsinki, Finland) is the President of Finland. ...

The presidential election, and cooperation between Centre Party and National Coalition Party, proved to be a major strain in the government coalition between the Centre Party and Social Democrats. The flashpoint came in March, when the Centre Party demanded national agricultural subsidies to cover farmers losses when Finnish exception in European Union Common Agricultural Policy was about to expire. At the end of the crisis Vanhanen told his parliamentary group that taxpayers would cover ninety percent or about 100 million euros in losses. An agricultural subsidy is a governmental subsidy paid to farmers to supplement their income, help manage the supply of agricultural commodities, and bolster the supply of such commodities on international markets. ... The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a system of European Union agricultural subsidies and programmes. ...

Personality

Matti Vanhanen

Vanhanen has been characterised as uncharismatic and even boring, which he has attempted to turn to his advantage in tense political situations. Vanhanen is known for being a teetotaler, saying that he does not like the taste of alcohol.^[1] ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2336x3504, 1925 KB) Photo: Magnus Fröderberg/norden. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2336x3504, 1925 KB) Photo: Magnus Fröderberg/norden. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Vanhanen married Merja Vanhanen 1985. They have two children: Annastiina (born 1991) and Juhana (born 1994). Matti Vanhanen and Merja Vanhanen unexpectedly announced their divorce on 6 April 2005, which has had political repercussions for the self-styled family man. 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Later there were claims in the tabloid press of affairs during and after his marriage. Susan Kuronen was widely linked to Vanhanen ^[2] but their relationship broke down.^[3] In February 2007, Kuronen released a tell-all book "The Prime Minister's Bride," which actually boosted the prime minister's popularity with the public. Tens of thousands of Finns signed an online petition against the book and many bookstores refused to put it on the shelf.^[4] Susan Kuronen is a Finnish woman who had a relation with divorced Finlands prime minister Matti Vanhanen. ...

In a 2006 book commissioned for the presidential elections, Se on ihan Matti, Vanhanen compared the Finnish tabloid press to the KGB and Stasi, former Soviet Union and East German secret police agencies ^[5]. A tabloid is a newspaper — especially in the United Kingdom — that uses the tabloid format, which is roughly 23½ by 14¾ inches per spread. ... The KGB emblem and motto: The sword and the shield KGB (transliteration of КГБ) is the Russian-language abbreviation for Committee for State Security, (Russian: ; Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti). ... Logo of East Germanys Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS or Stasi) / Ministry for State Security This article is about Stasi, the secret police of East Germany. ... GDR redirects here. ...

During the ASEM 2006 meeting in Helsinki, French president Jacques Chirac described Vanhanen as "the sexiest man in Finland".^[6] The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) was officially established in 1996 at the first summit in Bangkok. ... Founded 1550 Country Finland Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Area[1] - Of which land - Rank 185. ... Jacques René Chirac (born November 29, 1932) has served as the Gaullist President of France since he was first elected in 1995. ...

References

External links

• (Finnish) Official site
• News and related people on NamePedia

Prime Ministers of Finland

P.E. Svinhufvud • J.K. Paasikivi • L. Ingman • K. Castrén • J. Vennola • R. Erich • J. Vennola • A. Cajander • K. Kallio • A. Cajander • L. Ingman • A. Tulenheimo • K. Kallio • V. Tanner • J. Sunila • O. Mantere • K. Kallio • P.E. Svinhufvud • J. Sunila • T. Kivimäki • K. Kallio • A. Cajander • R. Ryti • J.W. Rangell • E. Linkomies • A. Hackzell • U. Castrén • J.K. Paasikivi • M. Pekkala • K.A. Fagerholm • U. Kekkonen • S. Tuomioja • R. Törngren • U. Kekkonen • K.A. Fagerholm • V. J. Sukselainen • R. von Fieandt • R. Kuuskoski • K.A. Fagerholm • V. J. Sukselainen • M. Miettunen • A. Karjalainen • R.R. Lehto • J. Virolainen • R. Paasio • M. Koivisto • T. Aura • A. Karjalainen • T. Aura • R. Paasio • K. Sorsa • K. Liinamaa • M. Miettunen • K. Sorsa • M. Koivisto • K. Sorsa • H. Holkeri • E. Aho • P. Lipponen • A. Jäätteenmäki • M. Vanhanen