President of Finland
The president of the Republic of Finland is the head of state of Finland. The incumbent president is Alexander Stubb, since 1 March 2024. He was elected president for the first time in 2024.
The president is directly elected by universal suffrage for a term of six years. Since 1994, no president may be elected for more than two consecutive terms. The president must be a natural-born Finnish citizen. The presidential office was established in the Constitution Act of 1919. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the Finnish Government and the president, with the latter possessing only residual powers. Only formally, the president ranks first in the protocol, before the speaker of the parliament and the prime minister of Finland.
Finland has for most of its independence had a semi-presidential system in which the president had much authority and power over both foreign and domestic policy, but constitutional amendments adopted in 1991, 2000 and 2012 reduced the president's powers and moved the country towards a more parliamentary system. The president still leads the nation's foreign policy in conjunction with the Government, and is the commander-in-chief of the Finnish Defence Forces.
Title
Officially, the current head of state of Finland is known as the president of the Republic of Finland or, more often, the president of the Republic. This is in contrast to former presidents, who retain the title "President".Election
Presidential candidates can be nominated by registered parties which have received at least one seat in the previous parliamentary elections. A candidate may also be nominated by 20,000 enfranchised citizens. The usual practice is that each political party sets its own, distinct candidate. Between 1919 and 1988, the president was elected indirectly by an electoral college made up of electors chosen by voters in the presidential election. In the 1988 presidential election, a direct and an indirect election were conducted in parallel: if no candidate could gain a majority, the president was elected by an electoral college formed in the same elections. Since 1994, the president has been elected by a direct popular vote.If only one candidate is nominated, that candidate becomes president without an election. Otherwise, the first round of balloting takes place on the fourth Sunday of January in the election year. The elections are two-staged. If one of the candidates receives more than half of the votes cast, that candidate is elected president. If no candidate wins a majority in the first stage, the top two candidates rerun in the second stage two weeks later. The candidate who then receives more votes is elected. In the event of a tie, the election is resolved by lot. The Government confirms the outcome of the election and, if necessary, conducts the drawing of lots. The president assumes office on the first day of the month following the election.
There have been several exceptional presidential elections. The first president, Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg, was chosen by the Finnish parliament due to the transition rule of the constitution and also due to the martial law. In 1940 and 1943, the 1937 electoral college chose the president, as it was felt that a popular election could not be arranged due to the martial law and the Continuation War. In 1944 special legislation directly stipulated that Marshal Mannerheim be elected president for six years after Risto Ryti had resigned mid-term. In 1946, special legislation empowered the Parliament to choose a successor for the remainder of Mannerheim's term, the latter having resigned. Then Prime Minister Juho Kusti Paasikivi was elected president by the Parliament. In 1973, special legislation extended President Urho Kekkonen's term by four years until 1978, when he was re-elected regularly.
Inauguration
The president-elect, accompanied by the Speaker of the Parliament and the outgoing president, assumes office on the first day of the month following the election by making a solemn affirmation in both Finnish and Swedish at a ceremony in Parliament House. The affirmation is specified in Section 56 of the Constitution, and in English reads "I, , elected by the people of Finland as the President of the Republic, hereby affirm that in my presidential duties I shall sincerely and conscientiously observe the Constitution and the laws of the Republic, and to the best of my ability promote the wellbeing of the people of Finland."The term of the president-elect begins at the moment the affirmation has been made. After the inauguration, the new president, accompanied by their predecessor, inspects the guard of honour outside Parliament House.
Presidential sessions
The president exercises governmental powers "in council" with the Finnish Government, echoing the royal curia regis. The session is customarily arranged once a week. There is quorum of five ministers and the chancellor of justice is present as well. In the session, the respective ministers present the topic and a proposal for decision. Based on the proposal, the president makes his decision. The president may depart from the proposal and may return the proposal to the Government for reconsideration. There is no voting and normally there are no speeches aside from the aforementioned proposals. Except for approvals of new laws and appointments, the Government may present the issue to the Parliament, which will make the final decision on the matter on the Government's proposal.Duties and powers
The president's functions and powers are directly defined in the Constitution. In addition to those specified there, the president also discharges functions assigned to the president in other laws. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the president and the Government, which must enjoy the confidence of parliament. This principle is reflected in other provisions of the constitution concerning the president's functions and powers dealing with legislation, decrees, and appointment of public officials. Custom dictates that the president renounces any party affiliation while serving, to remain above day-to-day politics.The president was originally vested with fairly broad executive power, particularly in the realm of foreign policy. Constitutional amendments enacted in 1999 reduced the president's powers somewhat, and the president now shares executive authority with the Prime Minister. Nevertheless, presidents are still seen as providing a measure of stability, given that it is all but impossible for one party to win an outright majority in Parliament.
Ordering premature parliamentary elections
Upon the proposal of the prime minister, the president may, having consulted the parliamentary groups and while Parliament is in session, order the holding of premature parliamentary election. The new parliament is chosen for a normal four-year term. Parliament itself may decide when to end its session before the election day. From 1919 to 1991 the president's power to order a premature election was unqualified and he could do so whenever considered necessary. Presidents have ordered premature parliamentary elections on seven occasions. The president declares each annual session of parliament open and closes the last Annual Session. This is done in a speech at each opening and closing ceremony.Appointing and discharging ministers
The prime minister and other members of the Government are appointed and discharged by the president of the republic. After parliamentary elections or in any other situation where the government has resigned, the president, taking into account the result of consultations between the parliamentary groups and having heard the view of the speaker, submits a nominee for prime minister to Parliament. If confirmed by Parliament with a majority of the votes cast, the president then proceeds to appoint the prime minister and other ministers. The president is constitutionally required to dismiss a government or any minister as soon as that government has lost the confidence of Parliament.Appointing powers
The president appoints:- Governor, and other members of the board of the Bank of Finland
- Chancellor of justice and the vice-chancellor of justice
- Prosecutor-general and the vice prosecutor-general
- Ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions abroad
- Executive of Kela
- Secretary general and presenters at Office of the President of the Republic
In addition, the president appoints or gives commission to:
- Officers of the Finnish Defence Forces and the Finnish Border Guard
- Permanent judges, including presidents and members of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court, presidents and members of the courts of appeal and administrative courts of appeal.
International relations