Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland
Tarja Halonen is the first female president of the Republic of Finland.
Born December 24, 1943, in Helsinki, into the family of a construction worker.
Graduated in law from the University of Helsinki.
After graduation, worked as the lawyer for several years for student and trade-union organisations.
Political Career
1979-1999: Served as a member of parliament.
1987-1990: Served as Minister of Social Affairs and Health.
1990-1991: Served as Minister of Justice.
1991-1994: Served as the assistant to the chief negotiator for the Finnish parliament in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
1995-2000: Served as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
President Halonen is a well-known figure of the Social Democratic Party of Finland.
February 6, 2000: Elected President of Finland.
January 29, 2006: Re-elected for a second six-year term as president.
President Halonen is known for her many years in peace and human rights activism, and her great interest in globalisation issues. From 2002 to 2003, President Halonen served as the co-chair of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation, created under the aegis of the International Labour Organisation.
Married, with an adult daughter.
