Finnish Social Democrat Tarja Kaarina Halonen became the first woman president of Finland in February 2000. The former foreign minister and politician became famous for her 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) with Vieno Olavi Halonen and Luuli Elina Loimola. When she spent her childhood in the Kallio work area, her name and date of birth gave her an early incentive for future changes. According to her, when she was a little girl, the name “Tarja” was not on the calendars. What else is needed to develop a passion for change, if not a birthday on Christmas Eve and a name that does not exist? “Tarja” comes from the Russian name “Daria”. However, one cannot but take into account the fact that Halonen was born during the Second World War in the city that the Soviet Red Army stormed. Despite the fact that Finland emerged from the war as a democratic independent state, its people will not soon forget the 1939 invasion, with which the country fought alone.
Like many young people of the 1960s, Tarja Halonen participated in the left movement and considered Che Guevara her idol. She studied at the University of Helsinki and received a law degree 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 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 its 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 the Helsinki City Council, where she worked until 1996, and in 1979 she was elected as a member of parliament for the first of five consecutive terms (until 2000). After spending five years as a deputy, Halonen began to play more prominent roles.
From 1984 to 1987, she was chairman of the Social Affairs Committee.
From 1991 to 1995, Tarja Halonen was Deputy Chairperson of the Legal Committee, and was Chairwoman of the Supreme Committee in 1995.
In parallel with her work in parliament, she held increasingly significant posts in three governments. Firstly, from 1987 to 1990, she was Minister of Social Security and Health. This was followed by her appointment as Minister of Northern 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. Halonen held this position until her election as president in 2000. Here she was highly appreciated by her compatriots. Among her main accomplishments were the presidency of the European Union in the second half of 1999 and strong opposition to Finland’s NATO membership. In 1997, she stated that her country had decided to remain outside the military alliances and maintain reliable national defense. According to her, she was not sure that the alternative would provide greater 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."
Nonconformism
Despite a political career that continued to increase her fame and popularity, Tarja Halonen maintained independence and never agreed. She got married and divorced, raising her daughter as a single mother. Living in a Lutheran country, Tarja pulled away from the church. Her policies, including her advocacy for gay rights, remain radical for many Finns, especially villagers. Even her personal relationship was surprising when she cohabited with her longtime friend Pentti Arayarvi without the blessing of the clergy. They got married after her election as president. But not one of these quirks could prevent the political ascent of Halonen. Tarja was nominated for the presidency.
First woman president
In 1906, Finland became the first European country to give women the right to vote. About 94 years later, she elected her first female president. But this historical moment was not without a stubborn struggle.
At the beginning of the 2000 elections, Halonen was only fourth in the polls. Her main rival, the conservative former ex-prime minister, Esko Aho, emphasized her unusualness and leftism, especially in front of her constituency voters. However, for the January 16 elections, Tarja won 39.9% of the vote, compared with 34.6% of Aho. This was not enough to win, since an advantage of more than 50% was required. On February 6, a tense second round of elections took place. This time, she received 51.6% of the vote, compared with 48.4% cast to her opponent.
Tarja Halonen, Finland’s first female president, took office as the 11th leader of the country on March 1, 2000.
She won the victory mainly due to her ability to attract the voices of conservative women and a straightforward manner of behavior. Ex-Prime Minister of Finland Paavo Lipponen, leader of the Social Democrats, said that Halonen is a person with his own special personality, openness, and whose true character resonated with 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, which transferred more powers to parliament, limiting the president’s ability to influence internal affairs. Although the country's leader continued to play a significant role in the external arena, Tarja soon made it clear that she did not intend to be a nominal figure. However, she did not ignore the fact that the people who had high hopes for her could be left 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 regarding their fulfillment of a certain role in domestic politics increased. In any case, the wings were only cut, not cut, and Halonen retained control of such a vital institution as the army.
Wedding contrary
Immediately after the election, journalists asked a friend of Tarja Arayarvi 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. However, in order to abide by traditions or other reasons, in August 2000 the couple privately married.
Halonen's wedding was one of the few concessions to her new position that she was ready to make.
Moomin mom
In general, Tarja behaved as always. Her position on issues such as the Scandinavian public welfare, human rights and environmental protection remained unchanged. In fact, she remained consistent throughout most of her career. Her personal style has not changed. A strong word, intolerance of boasting and a special sense of fashion remained its hallmarks. Tarja preserved her love of art, swimming, her domestic cats and a turtle. All this contributed to the creation of an outgoing and straightforward woman, which attracted society to Halonen. The Swedish press nicknamed her “Moomin Mom” after the Finnish beloved cartoon 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 has ever been included in the popular television nomination of the ten greatest Finns. In other words, Halonen has become one of Finland’s most popular presidents of all time.
Ceres Medal and other awards
In addition to huge popularity, female president Tarja Halonen has earned the respect of colleagues and peers both at home and abroad. By 2004, it had at least nine honorary degrees from universities, including the China Forestry Academy in Beijing (2002), Ewha Womans University of the Republic of Korea (2002), and the Bluefields University in Nicaragua (2004). In addition, she received such awards as the Ceres Medal of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2002) and the 2004 humanitarian award of the American Grameen Foundation - the Deutsche Bank Award for “Global Vision and a Humanistic Perspective”.
In January 2006, Tarja was re-elected for a second term and resigned on March 1, 2012. Since then, she managed to head the UN working group, the nonprofit company Helsinki Sustainability Center, the governing body of the World Wildlife Fund and become chairman of the board of the Finnish National Gallery.
