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This is a list of prime ministers of Finland since the establishment of that office in 1917.
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This is a list of prime ministers of Finland since the establishment of that office in 1917.
In 1918, the Finnish Senate was transformed into the Finnish Government, and the position of vice-chairman of the economic division of the Senate was transformed into the position of prime minister. Kesäranta (in Swedish Villa Bjälbo), located in the Meilahti neighborhood of Helsinki, has been the official residence of the prime minister of Finland since 1919.
Since its independence (declared on 6 December 1917), Finland has had 75 cabinets, [1] including the current one, the longest lasting being the cabinet of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, lasting 1,469 days. [2]
Before the 1980s, cabinets tended to be short lived; the president was the most important political figure, and he had the right to form a new cabinet whenever he wanted. From the 1980s onwards, cabinets have tended to serve full terms (although the prime minister changed midterm in a few cases, most of the other cabinet members have remained nearly unchanged) and the prime minister has become more powerful a figure than the president. Under the current constitution, the prime minister is chosen by the parliament and only formally appointed by the president.
Finnish cabinets and prime ministers are numbered sequentially. A prime minister can serve as the head of multiple cabinets. For example, Matti Vanhanen is both the 39th and the 40th prime minister. [3]
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Election | Party | Cabinet Coalition | President (Tenure) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Duration | ||||||||
| 1 |  | Pehr Evind Svinhufvud (1861–1944) | 27 November 1917 | 27 May 1918 | 182 days | 1917 | Young Finnish | 1. Svinhufvud I SP–NSP–ML–RKP (minority) | None | |
| 2 |  | Juho Kusti Paasikivi (1870–1956) | 27 May 1918 | 27 November 1918 | 185 days | — | Finnish | 2. Paasikivi I SP–NSP–ML–RKP (minority) | Regent Pehr Evind Svinhufvud (1918) | |
| 3 |  | Lauri Ingman (1868–1934) | 27 November 1918 | 17 April 1919 | 142 days | — | National Coalition | 3. Ingman I KOK–ED–RKP | ||
| Regent Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (1918–1919) | ||||||||||
| 4 |  | Kaarlo Castrén (1860–1938) | 17 April 1919 | 15 August 1919 | 121 days | 1919 | National Progressive | 4. K. Castrén ML–ED–RKP (minority) | ||
| Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg (1919–1925) | ||||||||||
| 5 |  | Juho Vennola (1872–1938) | 15 August 1919 | 15 March 1920 | 214 days | — | National Progressive | 5. Vennola I ML–ED (minority) | ||
| 6 |  | Rafael Erich (1879–1946) | 15 March 1920 | 9 April 1921 | 1 year, 26 days | — | National Coalition | 6. Erich KOK–ML–ED–RKP | ||
| (5) | | Juho Vennola (1872–1938) | 9 April 1921 | 2 June 1922 | 1 year, 55 days | — | National Progressive | 7. Vennola II ML–ED (minority) | ||
| 7 |  | Aimo Cajander (1879–1943) | 2 June 1922 | 14 November 1922 | 166 days | 1922 | Independent | 8. Cajander I (caretaker) | ||
| 8 |  | Kyösti Kallio (1873–1940) | 14 November 1922 | 18 January 1924 | 1 year, 66 days | — | Agrarian | 9. Kallio I ML–ED (minority) | ||
| (7) | | Aimo Cajander (1879–1943) | 18 January 1924 | 31 May 1924 | 135 days | — | Independent | 10. Cajander II (caretaker) | ||
| (3) | | Lauri Ingman (1868–1934) | 31 May 1924 | 31 March 1925 | 305 days | 1924 | National Coalition | 11. Ingman II KOK–ML–ED–RKP | ||
| Lauri Kristian Relander (1925–1931) | ||||||||||
| 9 |  | Antti Tulenheimo (1879–1952) | 31 March 1925 | 31 December 1925 | 276 days | — | National Coalition | 12. Tulenheimo KOK–ML (minority) | ||
| (8) | | Kyösti Kallio (1873–1940) | 31 December 1925 | 13 December 1926 | 348 days | — | Agrarian | 13. Kallio II ML–KOK (minority) | ||
| 10 |  | Väinö Tanner (1881–1966) | 13 December 1926 | 17 December 1927 | 1 year, 5 days | — | Social Democratic | 14. Tanner SDP (minority) | ||
| 11 |  | Juho Sunila (1875–1936) | 17 December 1927 | 22 December 1928 | 1 year, 6 days | 1927 | Agrarian | 15. Sunila I ML (minority) | ||
| 12 |  | Oskari Mantere (1874–1942) | 22 December 1928 | 16 August 1929 | 238 days | — | National Progressive | 16. Mantere ED (minority) | ||
| (8) | | Kyösti Kallio (1873–1940) | 16 August 1929 | 4 July 1930 | 323 days | 1929 | Agrarian | 17. Kallio III ML (minority) | ||
| (1) | | Pehr Evind Svinhufvud (1861–1944) | 4 July 1930 | 18 February 1931 | 230 days | — | National Coalition | 18. Svinhufvud II ML–KOK–ED–RKP | ||
| 1930 | ||||||||||
| — | | Juho Vennola (1872–1938) Interim Prime Minister | 18 February 1931 | 21 March 1931 | 32 days | — | National Progressive | Pehr Evind Svinhufvud (1931–1937) | ||
| (11) | | Juho Sunila (1875–1936) | 21 March 1931 | 14 December 1932 | 1 year, 269 days | — | Agrarian | 19. Sunila II ML–KOK–ED–RKP | ||
| 13 |  | Toivo Mikael Kivimäki (1886–1968) | 14 December 1932 | 7 October 1936 | 3 years, 298 days | — | National Progressive | 20. Kivimäki ML–ED–RKP (minority) | ||
| 1933 | ||||||||||
| (8) | | Kyösti Kallio (1873–1940) | 7 October 1936 | 17 February 1937 | 134 days | 1936 | Agrarian | 21. Kallio IV ML–ED (minority) | ||
| — |  | Rudolf Holsti (1881–1945) Interim Prime Minister | 17 February 1937 | 12 March 1937 | 24 days | — | National Progressive | Kyösti Kallio (1937–1940) | ||
| (7) | | Aimo Cajander (1879–1943) | 12 March 1937 | 1 December 1939 | 2 years, 265 days | — | National Progressive | 22. Cajander III SDP–ML–ED–RKP | ||
| 1939 | ||||||||||
| 14 |  | Risto Ryti (1889–1956) | 1 December 1939 | 19 December 1940 | 1 year, 19 days | — | National Progressive | 23. Ryti I SDP–ML–ED–RKP | ||
| — | 24. Ryti I SDP–ML–KOK–ED–RKP | |||||||||
| — |  | Rudolf Walden (1878–1946) Interim Prime Minister | 19 December 1940 | 4 January 1941 | 17 days | — | Independent | Risto Ryti (1940–1944) | ||
| 15 |  | Johan Wilhelm Rangell (1894–1982) | 4 January 1941 | 5 March 1943 | 2 years, 61 days | — | National Progressive | 25. Rangell SDP–ML–KOK–RKP–ED–IKL | ||
| 16 |  | Edwin Linkomies (1894–1963) | 5 March 1943 | 8 August 1944 | 1 year, 157 days | — | National Coalition | 26. Linkomies KOK–SDP–ML–RKP–ED | ||
| Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (1944–1946) | ||||||||||
| 17 |  | Antti Hackzell (1881–1946) | 8 August 1944 | 21 September 1944 | 45 days | — | Independent | 27. Hackzell KOK–SDP–ML–RKP–ED | ||
| 18 |  | Urho Castrén (1886–1965) | 21 September 1944 | 17 November 1944 | 58 days | — | National Coalition | 28. U. Castrén KOK–SDP–ML–RKP–ED | ||
| (2) | | Juho Kusti Paasikivi (1870–1956) | 17 November 1944 | 9 March 1946 | 1 year, 113 days | — | National Coalition | 29. Paasikivi II SDP–SKDL–ML–KOK–RKP–ED | ||
| 1945 | 30. Paasikivi III SDP–SKDL–ML–ED–RKP | |||||||||
| — |  | Carl Enckell (1876–1959) Interim Prime Minister | 9 March 1946 | 26 March 1946 | 18 days | — | Independent | |||
| Juho Kusti Paasikivi (1946–1956) | ||||||||||
| 19 |  | Mauno Pekkala (1890–1952) | 26 March 1946 | 29 July 1948 | 2 years, 126 days | — | SKDL | 31. Pekkala SKDL–SDP–ML–RKP | ||
| 20 |  | Karl-August Fagerholm (1901–1984) | 29 July 1948 | 17 March 1950 | 1 year, 232 days | 1948 | Social Democratic | 32. Fagerholm I SDP (minority) | ||
| 21 |  | Urho Kekkonen (1900–1986) | 17 March 1950 | 17 November 1953 | 3 years, 246 days | — | Agrarian | 33. Kekkonen I ML–RKP–ED (minority) | ||
| — | 34. Kekkonen II ML–SDP–RKP–ED | |||||||||
| 1951 | 35. Kekkonen III ML–SDP–RKP | |||||||||
| — | 36. Kekkonen IV ML–RKP (minority) | |||||||||
| 22 |  | Sakari Tuomioja (1911–1964) | 17 November 1953 | 5 May 1954 | 170 days | — | Independent | 37. Tuomioja (caretaker) | ||
| 23 |  | Ralf Törngren (1899–1961) | 5 May 1954 | 20 October 1954 | 169 days | 1954 | Swedish People's | 38. Törngren SDP–ML–RKP | ||
| (21) | | Urho Kekkonen (1900–1986) | 20 October 1954 | 3 March 1956 | 1 year, 136 days | — | Agrarian | 39. Kekkonen V ML–SDP | ||
| (20) | | Karl-August Fagerholm (1901–1984) | 3 March 1956 | 27 May 1957 | 1 year, 86 days | — | Social Democratic | 40. Fagerholm II SDP–ML–RKP | Urho Kekkonen (1956–1982) | |
| 24 |  | V. J. Sukselainen (1906–1995) | 27 May 1957 | 29 November 1957 | 187 days | — | Agrarian | 41. Sukselainen I ML–RKP–SDP–KP–TPSL | ||
| 25 |  | Rainer von Fieandt (1890–1972) | 29 November 1957 | 26 April 1958 | 149 days | — | Independent | 42. von Fieandt (caretaker) | ||
| 26 |  | Reino Kuuskoski (1907–1965) | 26 April 1958 | 29 August 1958 | 126 days | — | Independent | 43. Kuuskoski (caretaker) | ||
| (20) | | Karl-August Fagerholm (1901–1984) | 29 August 1958 | 13 January 1959 | 138 days | 1958 | Social Democratic | 44. Fagerholm III SDP–ML–KOK–RKP–KP | ||
| (24) |  | V. J. Sukselainen (1906–1995) | 13 January 1959 | 3 July 1961 | 2 years, 183 days | — | Agrarian | 45. Sukselainen II ML–RKP (minority) | ||
| — |  | Eemil Luukka (1892–1970) Interim Prime Minister | 3 July 1961 | 14 July 1961 | 12 days | — | Agrarian | |||
| 27 |  | Martti Miettunen (1907–2002) | 14 July 1961 | 13 April 1962 | 274 days | — | Agrarian | 46. Miettunen I ML (minority) | ||
| 28 |  | Ahti Karjalainen (1923–1990) | 13 April 1962 | 18 December 1963 | 1 year, 250 days | 1962 | Agrarian | 47. Karjalainen I ML–KOK–RKP–KP–SDP | ||
| 29 |  | Reino Ragnar Lehto (1898–1966) | 18 December 1963 | 12 September 1964 | 270 days | — | Independent | 48. Lehto (caretaker) | ||
| 30 |  | Johannes Virolainen (1914–2000) | 12 September 1964 | 27 May 1966 | 1 year, 258 days | — | Agrarian | 49. Virolainen ML–KOK–RKP–KP | ||
| 31 |  | Rafael Paasio (1903–1980) | 27 May 1966 | 22 March 1968 | 1 year, 301 days | 1966 | Social Democratic | 50. Paasio I SDP–KESK–SKDL–TPSL | ||
| 32 |  | Mauno Koivisto (1923–2017) | 22 March 1968 | 14 May 1970 | 2 years, 54 days | — | Social Democratic | 51. Koivisto I SDP–KESK–SKDL–TPSL–RKP | ||
| 33 |  | Teuvo Aura (1912–1999) | 14 May 1970 | 15 July 1970 | 63 days | — | Independent | 52. Aura I (caretaker) | ||
| (28) | | Ahti Karjalainen (1923–1990) | 15 July 1970 | 29 October 1971 | 1 year, 107 days | 1970 | Centre | 53. Karjalainen II KESK–SDP–SKDL–RKP–LKP | ||
| (33) | | Teuvo Aura (1912–1999) | 29 October 1971 | 23 February 1972 | 118 days | — | Independent | 54. Aura II (caretaker) | ||
| (31) | | Rafael Paasio (1903–1980) | 23 February 1972 | 4 September 1972 | 195 days | 1972 | Social Democratic | 55. Paasio II SDP (minority) | ||
| 34 |  | Kalevi Sorsa (1930–2004) | 4 September 1972 | 13 June 1975 | 2 years, 283 days | — | Social Democratic | 56. Sorsa I SDP–KESK–RKP–LKP | ||
| 35 |  | Keijo Liinamaa (1929–1980) | 13 June 1975 | 30 November 1975 | 171 days | — | Independent | 57. Liinamaa (caretaker) | ||
| (27) | | Martti Miettunen (1907–2002) | 30 November 1975 | 15 May 1977 | 1 year, 167 days | 1975 | Centre | 58. Miettunen II KESK–RKP–LKP (minority) | ||
| — | 59. Miettunen III KESK–RKP–LKP | |||||||||
| (34) | | Kalevi Sorsa (1930–2004) | 15 May 1977 | 26 May 1979 | 2 years, 12 days | — | Social Democratic | 60. Sorsa II SDP–KESK–SKDL–RKP–LKP | ||
| (32) | | Mauno Koivisto (1923–2017) | 26 May 1979 | 27 October 1981 | 2 years, 155 days | 1979 | Social Democratic | 61. Koivisto II SDP–KESK–SKDL–RKP | ||
| — |  | Eino Uusitalo (1924–2015) Interim Prime Minister | 27 October 1981 | 19 February 1982 | 117 days | — | Centre | Mauno Koivisto (1982–1994) | ||
| (34) | | Kalevi Sorsa (1930–2004) | 19 February 1982 | 30 April 1987 | 5 years, 71 days | — | Social Democratic | 62. Sorsa III SDP–KESK–SKDL–RKP–LKP | ||
| 1983 | 63. Sorsa IV SDP–KESK–RKP–SMP | |||||||||
| 36 |  | Harri Holkeri (1937–2011) | 30 April 1987 | 26 April 1991 | 3 years, 362 days | 1987 | National Coalition | 64. Holkeri KOK–SDP–RKP–SMP | ||
| 37 |  | Esko Aho (born 1954) | 26 April 1991 | 13 April 1995 | 3 years, 353 days | 1991 | Centre | 65. Aho KESK–KOK–RKP–SKL | ||
| Martti Ahtisaari (1994–2000) | ||||||||||
| 38 |  | Paavo Lipponen (born 1941) | 13 April 1995 | 17 April 2003 | 8 years, 5 days | 1995 | Social Democratic | 66. Lipponen I SDP–KOK–RKP–VAS–VIHR | ||
| 1999 | 67. Lipponen II SDP–KOK–RKP–VAS–VIHR | |||||||||
| Tarja Halonen (2000–2012) | ||||||||||
| 39 |  | Anneli Jäätteenmäki (born 1955) | 17 April 2003 | 24 June 2003 | 69 days | 2003 | Centre | 68. Jäätteenmäki KESK–SDP–RKP | ||
| 40 |  | Matti Vanhanen (born 1955) | 24 June 2003 | 22 June 2010 | 6 years, 364 days | — | Centre | 69. Vanhanen I KESK–SDP–RKP | ||
| 2007 | 70. Vanhanen II KESK–KOK–RKP–VIHR | |||||||||
| 41 |  | Mari Kiviniemi (born 1968) | 22 June 2010 | 22 June 2011 | 1 year, 1 day | — | Centre | 71. Kiviniemi KESK–KOK–RKP–VIHR | ||
| 42 |  | Jyrki Katainen (born 1971) | 22 June 2011 | 24 June 2014 | 3 years, 3 days | 2011 | National Coalition | 72. Katainen KOK–SDP–RKP–VAS–VIHR–KD | ||
| Sauli Niinistö (2012–2024) | ||||||||||
| 43 |  | Alexander Stubb (born 1968) | 24 June 2014 | 29 May 2015 | 340 days | — | National Coalition | 73. Stubb KOK–SDP–RKP–VIHR–KD | ||
| 44 |  | Juha Sipilä (born 1961) | 29 May 2015 | 6 June 2019 | 4 years, 9 days | 2015 | Centre | 74. Sipilä KESK–PS–KOK | ||
| 45 |  | Antti Rinne (born 1962) | 6 June 2019 | 10 December 2019 | 188 days | 2019 | Social Democratic | 75. Rinne SDP–KESK–VIHR–VAS–RKP | ||
| 46 |  | Sanna Marin (born 1985) | 10 December 2019 | 20 June 2023 | 3 years, 193 days | — | Social Democratic | 76. Marin SDP–KESK–VIHR–VAS–RKP | ||
| 47 |  | Petteri Orpo (born 1969) | 20 June 2023 | Incumbent | 290 days | 2023 | National Coalition | 77. Orpo KOK–PS–RKP–KD | ||
| Alexander Stubb (since 2024) | ||||||||||
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