Finnish Government

Finnish government
Finnish: Suomen valtioneuvosto Swedish: Finlands statsrådet
Overview
Established	27 November 1917 (1917-11-27)
State	Republic of Finland
Leader	Prime Minister of Finland
Appointed by	President of Finland
Main organ	Prime Minister's Office
Ministries	12 (list)
Responsible to	Parliament of Finland
Annual budget	€55.8 billion[1] (2018)
Headquarters	Government Palace Snellmaninkatu 1 A, Helsinki, Finland
Website	government.fi

Republic of Finland
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Finland
State Constitution Declaration of Independence Human rights Law enforcement Military
Executive President (list) Sauli Niinistö Prime Minister (list) Juha Sipilä Government Ministries (list)
Legislative 37th Parliament Speaker: Maria Lohela
Judiciary General Courts Supreme Court Courts of Appeal District Courts Administrative Courts Supreme Administrative Court Regional Administrative Courts Prosecutor General Matti Kuusimäki Chancellor of Justice Jaakko Jonkka
Recent elections Parliamentary: 2007 2011 2015 Presidential: 2006 2012 2018 European: 2004 2009 2014
Political parties Blue Reform (SIN) Centre Party (KESK) Christian Democrats (KD) Finns Party (PS) Green League (VIHR) Left Alliance (VAS) National Coalition Party (KOK) Social Democratic Party (SDP) Swedish People's Party (RKP)
Administrative divisions Regions (Maakunnat, Landskap) Sub-regions (Seutukunnat, Ekonomiska regioner) Municipalities (Kunnat, Kommuner)
Foreign relations Ambassadors
Other countries Atlas

The Finnish government (Finnish: Suomen valtioneuvosto; Swedish: Finlands statsrådet; lit. Finland's council of state)^[2][3] is the executive branch and cabinet of Finland, which directs the politics of Finland and is the main source of legislation proposed to the Parliament. In the incumbent Sipilä Cabinet, the government comprises 17 ministers leading 12 ministries under collective ministerial responsibility and representing Finland in the Council of the European Union.

Majority coalition governments have become the foundation of the Finnish government; apart from a few historical exceptions, a government is usually assembled by the representatives of two major parties and a number of smaller parties.^[4]

Composition

The Finnish government is the most important executive body of Finland and synonymous with both the decision-making organ composed of the ministers as well as the combined organ of the ministers and the President of Finland.^[5][6][7] Its supreme powers are based on Section 3, Chapter 1 of the Constitution of Finland (and the subordinate Government Act of 2003^[8]):

The governmental powers are exercised by the President of the Republic and the Government, the members of which shall have the confidence of the Parliament.^[9]

The Government is led by the prime minister, considered practically the most powerful single office holder in Finland and often the leader of the largest political party. The government is composed of 12 ministries plus the Prime Minister's Office. Each ministry is commonly led by one or two ministers, who sit in the cabinet. The cabinet itself proposes the number of ministers and their roles which the Parliament (Finnish: eduskunta; Swedish: riksdag) confirms, and it is usual to do so even in mid-election season. There are no senior or junior ministers, and ministers without portfolio are no longer permitted under the 2000 constitution. Although ministers' portfolios are divided among the participating political parties, the cabinet has collective ministerial responsibility, and the ministers are expected to follow a government programme agreed upon during government formation talks. Ministers are not required to be Members of Parliament (MPs), although they often are. Each minister is assisted by a secretary of state (Finnish: valtiosihteeri; Swedish: statssekreterare), who serve at the pleasure of the minister.^[5][6][7]

Legislation

Vanhanen II Cabinet in a session of Finnish Parliament in 2007.

The government initiates the majority of legislation. A proposed act (Finnish: laki; Swedish: lag) is drafted in the respective ministry under the direction of its minister, after which it is reviewed by the Government and forwarded as a government proposal (Finnish: hallituksen esitys; Swedish: regeringens proposition) to Parliament for processing and possible amendments. However, since coalition governments have become the norm in Finland, the parties represented in the Government usually form the majority in the parliament, making the process somewhat more harmonious. Since 1957, all governments have been majority governments. Before a proposal is adopted into law, it must be confirmed by the President of Finland. As such, the president has the power of a delaying veto as a check against majority politics and potential violations of international agreements. Periods of cohabitation, wherein the president and the government represent different political positions, can create strife. The president's veto can be overridden by the Parliament, although this is in practice not done. Parties can also agree to not to vote along party lines but to leave the decision to individual MPs, although this is uncommon.^[5]

Besides law, the government issues decrees (Finnish: valtioneuvoston asetus; Swedish: statsrådets förordning) as delegated legislation. Decrees clarify, specify, and guide the implementation of an act of Parliament, but cannot contradict it. They are similar to US standing executive orders. A typical example is specifying the actual monetary sums for benefits described in general terms in an act.^[5] Decrees form an important body of law alongside acts of parliament.

Budget

Government funds can be spent only in the framework of the state budget (Finnish: valtion talousarvio; Swedish: statsbudgeten), which must be confirmed by Parliament. The government drafts the annual budget and introduces it to Parliament for discussion and approval. If the Government requires more funds mid-year, they have to submit an additional budget proposal to the Parliament.^[5] For 2018, the central government budget was €55.8 billion, not including municipal budgets and non-departmental bodies like state-owned enterprises.^[10]

Incumbent government

The current Sipilä cabinet is Finland's 74th government, which was inaugurated on 29 May 2015.^[11] It consists of 17 ministers and 3 centre-right parties: Centre Party, National Coalition Party, and Blue Reform.^[11]

List of governments

The following is a list of all Finnish Governments since 1917.^[14]

See also

• Politics of Finland
• Diet of Finland
• Finnish Civil War

References

External links

• Official website
• Finnish Government Termbank Valter