Paavo Lipponen Anneli Jäätteenmäki Matti Vanhanen Mari Kiviniemi Jyrki Katainen
Preceded by
Martti Ahtisaari
Succeeded by
Sauli Niinistö
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 13 April 1995 – 25 February 2000
Prime Minister
Paavo Lipponen
Preceded by
Paavo Rantanen
Succeeded by
Erkki Tuomioja
Minister of Justice[1]
In office 28 February 1990 – 26 April 1991
Prime Minister
Harri Holkeri
Preceded by
Matti Louekoski
Succeeded by
Hannele Pokka
Member of the Finnish Parliament
In office 24 March 1979 – 29 February 2000
Succeeded by
Ilkka Taipale[2]
Constituency
Helsinki
Personal details
Born
Tarja Kaarina Halonen
(1943-12-24) 24 December 1943 (age 80) Helsinki, Finland
Political party
Social Democratic
Spouse
Pentti Arajärvi
(m. 2000)
Children
Anna Halonen
Alma mater
University of Helsinki
Signature
Website
Official website
Tarja Kaarina Halonen (pronounced[ˈtɑrjɑˈkɑːrinɑˈhɑlonen]ⓘ; born 24 December 1943) is a Finnish politician who served as the 11th president of Finland, and the first and to date only woman to hold the position, from 2000 to 2012. She first rose to prominence as a lawyer with the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), and as the Prime Minister's parliamentary secretary (1974–1975) and a member of the City Council of Helsinki (1977–1996). Halonen was a Social Democratic Party member of parliament from 1979 until her election to the presidency in 2000.[3] She also served as a minister at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health from 1987 to 1990, as Minister of Justice from 1990 to 1991, and as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 2000.
Halonen was an extremely popular president, with her approval ratings reaching a peak of 88 percent in December 2003. She was re-elected in 2006, defeating National Coalition Party candidate Sauli Niinistö in the second round by 51% to 48%. Ineligible to run in the 2012 presidential elections because of term limits, Halonen left office on 1 March 2012 and was succeeded by Niinistö.
Widely known for her interest in human rights issues, Halonen served as the chairperson of the Finnish LGBT rights organization Seta in the 1980s, and she actively participated in the discussion of issues such as women's rights and the problems of globalization during her presidency. In 2006, she was mentioned by various commentators as a potential candidate for the United Nations Secretary-General selection, but she denied an interest at that time, stating that she wanted to finish her term as president before thinking about other career options.[4][5] In 2009, Forbes named her among the 100 most powerful women in the world.[6]
Halonen is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, an international network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers whose mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development.
Since the death of Martti Ahtisaari in 2023, Halonen is currently the oldest living former president of Finland.[7]
^"Council of State – Ministers of Justice". Valtioneuvosto.fi. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
^Eduskunta – edustajamatrikkeli Archived 23 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
^Skard, Torild (2014) "Finland's three national leaders" in Women of power – half a century of female presidents and prime ministers worldwide, Bristol: Policy Press, ISBN 978-1-44731-578-0
^"Candidates". United Nations. 2006.
^"The Next United Nations Secretary-General: Time for a Woman". Equality Now. November 2005. Archived from the original on 25 November 2007. Retrieved 24 November 2007.
^"The 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes.com. 19 August 2009.
^Salo, Sanna: Tältä näytti Ahtisaaren viimeinen yhteiskuva presidenttien kanssa, Iltalehti 16 October 2023. Accessed on 13 November 2023.
Tarja Kaarina Halonen (pronounced [ˈtɑrjɑ ˈkɑːrinɑ ˈhɑlonen] ; born 24 December 1943) is a Finnish politician who served as the 11th president of Finland...
victory for TarjaHalonen of the Social Democratic Party, who became the country's first female president. During the elections Halonen was the incumbent...
Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli (born 17 August 1977), known professionally as Tarja Turunen or simply Tarja, is a Finnish heavy metal singer, best...
Finland on 15 and 29 January 2006 which resulted in the re-election of TarjaHalonen as President of Finland for a second six-year term. The first round...
and settler in the 16th century Pekka Halonen (1865–1933), painter Simo Halonen (b. 1947), biathlete TarjaHalonen (b. 1943), Finnish politician and former...
schoolchildren expressed their condolences to Finnish President TarjaHalonen on 12 November during Halonen's state visit to the country. Norway: King Harald V sent...
the party line. He is also a member of ATTAC. In 1975, Tuomioja dated TarjaHalonen who later became the president of Finland. Tuomioja comes from a family...
the mobile phone manufacturer Nokia. The Finnish population elected TarjaHalonen in the 2000 Presidential election, making her the first female President...
Wiesenthal Center submitted an official request to Finnish President TarjaHalonen for a full-scale investigation by the Finnish authorities of the prisoner...
of Finland is Pentti Arajärvi, the partner and husband of President TarjaHalonen, who served from 2000 to 2012. They married in 2000 in Mäntyniemi, during...
courier. Aalto is a member of The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team. In 2006, TarjaHalonen, the President of Finland, recognized him as an "International Ambassador...
the realization, in 2006, that O'Brien bore a striking resemblance to TarjaHalonen, entering her second term as president of Finland. Capitalizing on the...
2000 constitution reduced the president's powers. He was succeeded by TarjaHalonen on 1 March 2000. In Finnish politics, Ahtisaari long stressed how important...
episodes – comprising approximately 30 hours of footage – were aired. TarjaHalonen Pentti Arajärvi Paavo Lipponen Erkki Tuomioja Antti Kalliomäki Eero...
naming proposals following a public naming contest, by Finnish President TarjaHalonen. The vessel was floated out on 15 July and the sea trials were scheduled...
cups and T-shirts to plastic models. Even the former Finnish President TarjaHalonen has been known to wear a Moomin watch. New Moomin comic books and comic...
000. Karelian was recognized in a regulation by the then president TarjaHalonen in November 2009, in accordance with the European Charter for Regional...
to "dust off his playboy charms" to persuade the Finnish president, TarjaHalonen, to concede that the EFSA should be based in Parma instead of Finland...
shooting himself simultaneously with two handguns. Finland's president TarjaHalonen pardoned Hannu Ratia in the end of 2005 and Fred Högsten in May 2006...
Stubb Retired Presidents of the Republic in order of term: President TarjaHalonen President Sauli Niinistö Speaker of the Parliament Jussi Halla-Aho Prime...
Andersson Paavo Arhinmäki Pekka Haavisto Jussi Halla-aho Tony Halme TarjaHalonen Heidi Hautala Eero Heinäluoma Laura Huhtasaari Ville Itälä Anneli Jäätteenmäki...
Global Information
