Antti Samuli Kaikkonen (born 14 February 1974 in Turku, Finland) is a Finnish politician who has served as chair of the Centre Party since June 2024.[1] He has been a member of the Finnish Parliament from Uusimaa since 2003. He served as Minister of Defence from 2019 to 2023. Kaikkonen was the president of Finnish Centre Youth from 1997 to 2001. He has also been a member of Finnish Delegation to the Council of Europe since 2004.[2]
Antti Kaikkonen | |
|---|---|
 Kaikkonen in 2019. | |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 28 February – 20 June 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Sanna Marin |
| Preceded by | Mikko Savola |
| Succeeded by | Antti Häkkänen |
| In office 6 June 2019 – 5 January 2023 | |
| Prime Minister |
|
| Preceded by | Jussi Niinistö |
| Succeeded by | Mikko Savola |
| Member of the Finnish Parliament for Uusimaa | |
| Assumed office 19 March 2003 | |
| Leader of the Centre Party | |
| Assumed office 15 June 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Annika Saarikko |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Antti Samuli Kaikkonen 14 February 1974 Turku, Southwest Finland, Finland |
| Political party | Centre |
| Occupation | Politician |
In 2013, Kaikkonen was convicted of corruption charges stemming from a campaign financing scandal.[3]
On 21 June 2016, Kaikkonen was chosen as the chairman of the Centre Party's parliamentary group.[4]
By 2019, Kaikkonen was parliamentary head of the coalition-leading Centre Party. Amidst the Oulu child sexual exploitation scandal, he called for all party heads in Parliament to meet, and declared "everyone who comes to Finland has to follow the local laws".[5]
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Campaign finance scandal
editIn the autumn of 2009, Kaikkonen received his share of the campaign finance. At that time, it was brought to public, that the Youth Foundation, of which Kaikkonen had been the chairman of the board since 2003, had distributed election support money to Kaikkonen, in municipal-, parliamentary-, and European Parliament -elections. In addition, it had also financed Matti Vanhanen's presidential election campaign, among other things.[6] Kaikkonen resigned from the chairman's place, and then stayed as a member of the board.[7]
The prosecutor demanded Kaikkonen's imprisonment in the Youth Foundation bribery trial, that began on 16 January 2012. In January 2013, the Helsinki District Court sentenced Kaikkonen to five months in conditional discharge for abuse of trust.[8] He did not appeal his verdict.[9]
Personal life
editKaikkonen has two children; Kaikkonen announced that he would take parental leave in early 2023.[10]
Honours
edit
Order of the Cross of Liberty (Finland, 2022)[11]
Order of the White Rose of Finland (Finland, 2022)[12]
Cross of Merit of the War Invalides (Finland, 2021)[13]
Military merit medal (Finland, 2020)[14]
Royal Order of the Polar Star (Sweden, 2022)[15]
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References
edit- ^ "Centre Party picks Kaikkonen as new leader, NCP re-elects Orpo". yle. yle.fi. 15 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "Antti Kaikkonen". Parliament of Finland. 20 September 2012. Archived from the original on 24 August 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
- ^ "Suspended prison sentences in campaign financing scandal". YLE. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Antti Kaikkonen valittiin keskustan eduskuntaryhmän johtoon". Helsingin Sanomat. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ Tarmo Virki (13 January 2019). "Sex abuse cases color immigration debate before Finnish election". Reuters. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
Antti Kaikkonen, parliamentary head of the coalition-leading Centre Party, called for a meeting of all the parliamentary party heads, tweeting: "Everyone who comes to Finland has to follow the local laws."
- ^ "Säätiöjohtaja puolustaa vaalitukien jakamista". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 21 September 2009. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ "Kaikkonen jättää Nuorisosäätiön puheenjohtajuuden". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ Ovaskainen, Teppo. "Antti Kaikkoselle ehdollinen vankeustuomio". Uusi Suomi (in Finnish). Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ "Antti Kaikkonen: En valita tuomiosta – "Kaksinkertainen rangaistus"". Uusi Suomi (in Finnish). Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ "Finland defence minister to take two months' paternity leave amid Nato bid". theguardian.com. Agence France-Presse. 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Ministeri Kaikkoselle 1. luokan Vapaudenristi rintatähden kera – "En oikein osaa muuta sanoa kuin kiitos, iso kiitos"". Suomenmaa (in Finnish). 1 December 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "Kunniamerkkien saajat julki – kunniamerkkikoneesta löydät kaikki nimet". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 1 December 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "Henkilötiedot". Antti Kaikkonen (in Finnish). 12 February 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "Kaikkoselle sotilasansiomitali". Antti Kaikkonen (in Finnish). 3 June 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen wearing the Royal Order of the Polar Star at the banquet in honour of the President of Finland at Stockholm in May 2022". Shutterstock. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
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