Ex PM Vanhanen elected parliament speaker

Parliament on Friday elected Suomen Keskusta (Centre Party of Finland) MP Matti Vanhanen as the new speaker. Vanhanen, 63, served as the prime minister in 2003-2010.

The change of speakers is a routine procedure following the general election. Initially the chairman of the largest party is the speaker, until a government is formed.

After the election in mid-April, SosialidemokraattinenPuolue (Social Democratic Party of Finland-SDP) leader Antti Rinne became the speaker until he was officially appointed as the prime minister on Thursday.

Social Democratic MP Tuula Haatainen was elected on Friday as the first deputy speaker and Perussuomalaiset (Finns Party) MP Juho Eerola became the second deputy speaker.

The election of speakers involved the Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party-NCP) in parliament. There were 39 blank votes in the ballot box when Vanhanen was elected. The conservative National Coalition MPs said they had voted blank as a protest against having been left without any positions among the speakers.

The Perussuomalaiset was also displeased as they thought they, as the largest opposition party, should get the speaker's position.

The tradition is that the speaker comes from the second-largest group in government. The center is now the second largest ministerial group in the newly appointed government under Prime Minister Rinne.

Addressing the parliament after his election, Vanhanen noted that this July marks the centenary of the Finnish Republican constitution.

In a joint press conference, the new speaker and deputy speakers underlined the need for mutual respect in the debates in the plenary hall.