Timo Soini | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 29 May 2015 – 6 June 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Juha Sipilä |
| Preceded by | Erkki Tuomioja |
| Succeeded by | Pekka Haavisto |
| 31st Deputy Prime Minister of Finland | |
| In office 29 May 2015 – 28 June 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Juha Sipilä |
| Preceded by | Antti Rinne |
| Succeeded by | Petteri Orpo |
| President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe | |
| In office 21 November 2018 – 17 May 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Marija Pejčinović Burić |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Yves Le Drian |
| Leader of the Finns Party | |
| In office 1997–2017 | |
| Preceded by | Raimo Vistbacka |
| Succeeded by | Jussi Halla-aho |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Timo Juhani Soini 30 May 1962 Rauma, Finland |
| Political party | Independent[1] |
| Other political affiliations | Finnish Reform Movement (2017-2023) Finns Party (1995–2017) Finnish Rural Party (1979–1995) |
| Alma mater | University of Helsinki |
| Website | Official website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Finland |
| Branch/service | Finnish Army |
| Rank |  Corporal |
Timo Juhani Soini (born 30 May 1962) is a Finnish politician who is the co-founder and former leader of the Finns Party. He served as Deputy Prime Minister of Finland from 2015 to 2017 and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2015 to 2019.[2]
He was elected as a member of the Espoo city council in 2000, and the Parliament of Finland in 2003. In the 2009 European Parliament election, he won a seat in the European Parliament with Finland's highest personal vote share (nearly 10% of all votes), becoming the first member of the Finns Party in the European Parliament.[3][4] He was a member of the European Parliament from 2009 until 2011, when he returned to the Finnish Parliament.
In the 2011 parliamentary election, his party won 19.1% of the votes, which was described as "shocking" and "exceptional" by the Finnish media.[5] Soini himself won the most votes of all candidates,[6] leaving behind the Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb and the Minister of Finance Jyrki Katainen in their Uusimaa electoral district.[7] Helsingin Sanomat concluded that "Timo Soini rewrote the electoral history books".[8]
Soini has become one of the internationally best-known critics of European Union bailouts and safety mechanisms.[citation needed] Following the 2015 parliamentary election, his party joined a coalition government and Soini became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in May 2015. In March 2017, Soini announced that he would step down as Chair of the Finns Party in June 2017,[9] causing a hotly contested leadership election. After the selection of Jussi Halla-aho as new party chairman – prompting a break between Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and the Finns Party – Soini declared his intention to form a new parliamentary group and remain in the government, causing a split in the party.[10] Soini was subsequently expelled from the party along with the other defector MPs.[11]
Soini did not take part in the 2019 parliamentary election and announced soon after the election that he was leaving politics behind.[12]
- ^ "Vapaa vennamolainen". Timo Soini. 11 June 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland – Ministers of Foreign Affairs". Valtioneuvosto.fi. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ "Helsingin Sanomat – International Edition – Home". Archived from the original on 23 April 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
- ^ "Nationalist Finns Party make gains in Finland vote". BBC News. 18 April 2011.
- ^ "Helsingin Sanomat, April 18 2011, 'SUNDAY EVENING : ELECTION SPECIAL'". Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ^ "Soini nousi äänikuninkaaksi". Yle Uutiset. 17 April 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- ^ "Vaalit 2011". Yle Uutiset. Archived from the original on 28 May 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- ^ "Helsingin Sanomat, April 18 2011, 'EDITORIAL: Timo Soini rewrote the electoral history books'". Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ^ Soini announces he will not continue at Finns Party helm Yle News on 5 March 2017. Retrieved on 12 March 2017.
- ^ "Sannfinländare bryter sig loss – delar partiet – DN.SE". Dagens Nyheter. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ^ "Jussi Halla-aho hämmentävän viikon jälkeen: "Ystävyyssuhteet kovalla koetuksella"". 16 June 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ^ Pekonen, Juha-Pekka (18 April 2019). "Timo Soini jättää politiikan". Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 18 April 2019.