|
 Vigdís Finnbogadóttir
President, Finnland, 2000-present
On March 1, 2000, Tarja Halonen was inaugurated as president of Finland, the
first woman to have won that office. Halonen was born on Dec. 24, 1943, in
Helsinki. As a student at the University of Helsinki, she served (1969–70) as
Social Affairs Secretary and General Secretary of the National Union of Finnish
Students. After earning a degree in law in 1970, she began her professional
career as an attorney with the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions.
Halonen entered politics in 1974, when she became parliamentary secretary to
Prime Minister Kalevi Sorsa. She held the job until Sorsa left office in 1975.
Halonen later became chair of the Finnish National Organization for Sexual
Equality. From 1977 to 1996 she was a member of the Helsinki City Council, and
in 1979 she was elected to Parliament as a candidate of the SDP. While retaining
her parliamentary seat, Halonen broadened her experience in domestic and
international politics by holding a number of Cabinet posts.
Before her
appointment as foreign affairs minister (1995-2000), she had served as Minister
of Social Affairs and Health (1987–90), Minister for Nordic Cooperation (1989–
91), and Minister of Justice (1990–91). |
