Jan Vapaavuori

Jan Vapaavuori
1st Mayor of Helsinki
In office
1 June 2017 – 2 August 2021
Preceded byJussi Pajunen
Succeeded byJuhana Vartiainen
Minister of Economic Affairs
In office
16 November 2012 – 29 May 2015
Prime MinisterJyrki Katainen
Alexander Stubb
Preceded byJyri Häkämies
Succeeded byOlli Rehn
Minister of Housing
In office
19 April 2007 – 22 June 2011
Prime MinisterMatti Vanhanen
Mari Kiviniemi
Preceded byAnneli Taina
Succeeded byKrista Kiuru
Personal details
Born (1965-04-03) 3 April 1965 (age 59)
Helsinki, Finland
Political partyNational Coalition Party
Alma materUniversity of Helsinki
Hanken School of Economics

Jan Pellervo Vapaavuori (born 3 April 1965) is a Finnish politician, the former Minister of Economic Affairs, and the former mayor of Helsinki. Vapaavuori was Minister of Housing and Minister of Nordic Cooperation in Matti Vanhanen's second cabinet and Mari Kiviniemi's cabinet. He was a candidate for the head of his party (the centre-right[1] National Coalition Party) in the June 2014 election, and as part of that the likeliest interim Prime Minister of Finland. However he eventually failed to make the eventual head-to-head round within the Coalition Party, which saw Alexander Stubb defeat Paula Risikko.[2][3]

Vapaavuori has been a Helsinki City Council member since 1997.[4] He has been a member of the Parliament since 2003, from the constituency of Helsinki, and he represents the National Coalition Party.[5] From 2011 to 2012 he was the chairman of the party's parliamentary group.[6] Vapaavuori was elected Mayor of Helsinki in 2017. His term started on 1 June 2017.[7] In November 2020 Vapaavuori announced that he will not be seeking re-election and plans to retire from politics.[8]

Vapaavuori acquired a law degree from University of Helsinki in 1989. He continued his studies in Helsinki, Uppsala, The Hague and Hanken School of Economics as well. He has worked in the National Union of University Students in Finland.

Vapaavuori was born into a bilingual family: his father, Panu, is a Finnish jurist and mother, Gun, was a Swedish teacher.[9] He is married to Outi Laitinen-Vapaavuori, a doctor of veterinary medicine.[4]

  1. ^ "The Democratic Society". National Coalition Party (KOK). 3 March 2014. Archived from the original on 19 November 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  2. ^ Leadership campaign discussion live!
  3. ^ Alexander Stubb to be the Chairman of the Coalition Party.
  4. ^ a b "Finnish Council of State - Jan Vapaavuori". Archived from the original on 2008-11-16. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
  5. ^ Personal details - Minister of Housing Jan Vapaavuori[permanent dead link]. Finnish Government
  6. ^ "Kansallisen kokoomuksen eduskuntaryhmä | Eduskunta". Archived from the original on 2014-05-05. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  7. ^ "National Coalition Party and Greens win elections, Jan Vapaavuori to be Mayor". City of Helsinki. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  8. ^ "HS-haastattelu | Jan Vapaavuori ei haekaan jatkokautta Helsingin pormestarina ja kertoo nyt HS:lle, miksi päätyi yllätyspäätökseensä". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  9. ^ "Jan Vapaavuori – Rötösherra". City (in Finnish). 18 August 2006. Retrieved December 7, 2016.