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Tarja Kaarina Halonen (, born 24 December 1943) is a Finns 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 Eduskunta from 1979 until her election to the presidency in 2000.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, 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. In 2009, Forbes named her among the 100 most powerful women in the world.
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.Salo, Sanna: Tältä näytti Ahtisaaren viimeinen yhteiskuva presidenttien kanssa, Iltalehti 16 October 2023. Accessed on 13 November 2023.
After the divorce, in 1950, Lyyli Halonen married her new husband Thure Forss, who worked as an electrician and was very active in the working-class community. Both Halonen's mother and her stepfather influenced her world view extensively. Halonen later said that her mother was a true survivor, always an extremely active and resilient person who valued good, honest and modest hardworking people. When she entered politics, Halonen stated that these are also the qualities and attributes she respects in people.
In 1950 she began her studies in Kallio Elementary school from where she later moved to Kallio Gymnasium and finally finished her matriculation examination in 1962. She began to study Art History in the University of Helsinki in 1962 but in autumn 1963 she changed her studies to law, and obtained her Master of Laws degree in 1968 specializing in criminal law.
She began to work as a lawyer, already before obtaining her degree, in a credit surveillance company Luotonvalvonta oy in 1967. After working there for a few years, she was hired by the National Union of University Students in Finland to work as a Social Affairs and General Secretary from 1969 to 1970. Her work in the Union spurred her interest in politics, and in 1970 she obtained a post as a lawyer in the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions, being the first female ever to work as a lawyer in the Union.
In early 1970, she was elected to represent Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions in a committee that called for the recognition of East Germany. Later she became the Vice-President of the committee, which lobbied then-President Urho Kekkonen. from the original Aamulehti During the presidential elections of 2006 she was criticized by rivals for this. She responded that the committee was formed by members from many different political parties including conservative parties. In 1973, Finland recognized both East Germany and West Germany as sovereign states. Professor says allegations of President Halonen’s GDR activism are untrue Helsingin Sanomat, 13 September 2007
Working in Parliament made Halonen more interested in politics and she decided to take part in the municipal elections of 1976. She was elected to the City Council of Helsinki, a position she held continuously for five terms from 1977 to 1996. Additionally in 1979, she was elected into Parliament as a representative of the Helsinki constituency. She served five full terms and less than a year of her sixth term in Parliament until her inauguration as president in 2000. In Parliament, her first formal post was as the chairman of the Social Committee, which she held from 1984 to 1987.
From 1990 to 1991, she served as Minister of Justice, and from 1995 until her election to the presidency, she served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Lipponen I Cabinet.
Halonen was a surprising candidate as she did not represent many traditional values: she was known as a left-wing social democratic party member, who lived in a domestic partnership, was a single parent and had resigned from the national church. Despite starting from fourth place in the presidential election polls, in the first round of the elections, Halonen received the most votes, 40.0%. Her nearest opponent, former prime minister Esko Aho of the Centre Party, received 34.4% of votes.
Since neither of the two candidates got over 50% of the votes, a second round was held. In the second round, Halonen narrowly defeated her opponent with 51.6% against 48.4%, thus becoming Finland's first female head of state. Her first term began on 1 March 2000.
SAK openly lobbied for her re-election. It used its members' money on mudslinging campaigns on behalf of Halonen. In those flyers, "Niinistö is presented as the horror of worker, whereas SAK-supported Halonen is like a worker's dream". Halonen said she approved of the flyers.
A study analyzed newspaper articles and concluded that the main newspaper Helsingin Sanomat produced almost exclusively positive tone stories about Halonen and much more negative tone articles about candidates Niinistö, Vanhanen and Hautala. Halonen, Halonen, Halonen – Onko presidentti valtamedian erityissuosiossa?. City
American talk show host Conan O'Brien made recurring jokes about Halonen on his show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, because of his own resemblance to her. He endorsed Halonen and produced humorous mock campaign ads and attack ads against her opponents. He went as far as visiting Finland and meeting Halonen.
On 19 November, the SDP's party council meeting was held; praised as "the president of the whole nation", she was unanimously chosen as the presidential candidate. Shortly thereafter, the party council of the Left Alliance gave the party's official support to Halonen.
Halonen's received 46% of the first round vote in the election. Sauli Niinistö (of the Kokoomus) was second with 24%. They faced each other in a runoff on 29 January 2006, where Halonen was re-elected with 51.8% of the vote against Mr. Niinistö's 48.2%. The re-election was a close call. She led in the advance voting, but she eventually received fewer votes on the actual voting day than Mr. Niinistö did.
In a 2001 interview Halonen said that she was worried about the Russian response if NATO approved membership bids by Baltic countries. Halonen: Baltian maiden liittyminen Natoon epäilyttää. MTV3. 8 April 2001 Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga asked what she meant and whether Halonen is actively opposing NATO membership of Baltic countries. Halosen Nato-lausunnoista kohu. MTV3. 7 May 2001
In the Iraqgate scandal, Halonen's advisor Martti Manninen leaked confidential documents to the Centre Party leader Anneli Jäätteenmäki, who had become prime minister. The revelations led to the resignation of Jäätteenmäki. Book on Iraq leak scandal: Manninen leaked secret documents out of job frustration
Halonen has opposed the use of landmines in Finnish military doctrine. Halonen criticised as global do-gooder; PM Vanhanen comes to President’s defence
Halonen has defended and did not sign a treaty which would have banned Finland from using these kinds of weapons.
In September 2008, Halonen was perceived as insulting Estonia by saying that the Estonians suffer from a "post-Soviet stress condition". President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves commented on the issue, saying that "Estonia has never condemned, and will not condemn the foreign affairs decisions of another EU country. It will also not assess the psychiatric state of other EU countries". Halonen suututti virolaiset Yle: Halosen lausunto kuohuttaa Virossa In 2009, Halonen rejected calls to apologize for Finland's attitude towards Estonian independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Tarja Halonen: "En lämpene kollektiivisille anteeksipyynnöille". Suomen Kuvalehti
At the end of her second term Halonen's presidency and economic views received harsh criticism from Björn Wahlroos, the chairman of the two largest banks in Finland.
Throughout her political career, Halonen has described herself as a supporter of "international solidarity". She describes herself as a "relative pacifist", meaning that she does not support unilateral disarmament. She has strongly defended the President's role as the commander in chief of the military.Anna Perho (2005): Tarja Halonen – ensimmäinen nainen City-lehti 24/2005 She opposed NATO membership during her tenure. Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, when Finnish public opinion had turned, and the Parliament had debated the issue and decided, in favor of submitting an application for NATO membership, Halonen also voiced her support on Twitter, calling the move "a necessary measure in the changed security situation in Europe". Her strong stands on these issues have characterised her presidential term and shaped Finnish foreign policy, in part in cooperation with the like-minded former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Erkki Tuomioja.
Halonen has publicly supported the involvement of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) in politics.
The Constitution of Finland and Halonen's decision to take part in some European Union meetings with the prime minister has created the so-called "problem of two dinner plates" in Finland. Since most other countries only have their prime ministers representing them, it was also decided in Finland that the task is reserved for the Prime Minister in most cases. Finland's Halonen plays down dark clouds over two-plate policy. Helsinki Times
On 20 March 2013, Halonen publicly voiced her support for same-sex marriage.
On 26 August 2000, Halonen married her longtime partner, Dr. Pentti Arajärvi, in a civil ceremony at her official residence, Mäntyniemi, after a relationship of more than fifteen years. Halonen's adult daughter Anna, and Arajärvi's adult son Esko, acted as witnesses. Both children are from previous relationships.
She promotes Finland in her personal accoutrements, such as wearing a Moomin watch.
In the 1960s, she left the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, to which the majority of Finns belong, to protest against its policy of taxing church members and its stance against female priests. The church has since accepted women as priests, and Halonen has stated that she has no personal reason not to return to the church but refrains from doing so in order not to give a signal that might be misinterpreted. Interview of Halonen in Kotimaa 12 February 2005. On the official webpage of the president. Retrieved 10 October 2007. In the 1990s, Halonen acted as the chairman of Suomen setlementtiliitto, a Christian social work organization. After her presidential term, Halonen rejoined the Evangelical-Lutheran Church. According to her statements, she had previously refrained from it as it might have been considered an attempt to garner political support. HS: Näistä syistä Halonen erosi kirkosta – ja tämän takia hän liittyi takaisin. Iltalehti 2 March 2013. Retrieved 2016-02-03. Since then, Halonen has even preached publicly in a divine service of her home parish of Kallio. Presidentti Tarja Halonen saarnasi työttömyydestä Kalliossa. Yle 28 November 2013. Retrieved from 2016-02-17. This is a privilege that the parish priest may grant only in exceptional cases to persons known for their Christian conviction. Kirkkojärjestys, Ch 2, Section 6. (The by-law of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland). Finlex. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
In 1980–1981 Halonen served as the chairman of Seta, the main LGBT rights organization in Finland.
Former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Finnish author Sofi Oksanen have strongly criticized Halonen for perceived unwillingness to publicly condemn Russia’s hostilities in the past. Notably, after the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia, Halonen referred to Ilves' concerns as "post-Soviet stress".
Halonen also appears as an animated character in the political satire TV series The Autocrats. YLE: Itse valtiaat nauroi 2000-luvun poliitikoille – nämä hahmot olivat Suomen huipputehtävissä 20 vuotta sitten (in Finnish) IS: Suomalaisia poliitikkoja ärsyttänyt sensuroimaton Itse valtiaat -sarja alkaa alusta – presidentti Tarja Halonen kutsui tekijät Linnaan (in Finnish) IS: Tarja Halonen pohti uudelleen Itse Valtialta (in Finnish)
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