Pääministerin vallan kasvu Suomessa

Authors

• Heikki Paloheimo

Abstract

During the last two decades the Finnish political system has gradually changed from a semi-presidential to a nearly parliamentary one. This process was finalized with the making of the new constitution of 2000. Four factors in particular contributed to the shift towards parliamentarism in the Finnish constitution. First, the breakdown of the Soviet Union also broke down the tradition of highly personalized, presidential influence in Finnish- Soviet relations. Second, Finnish membership in the European Union increased the need to integrate the Finnish cabinet in decision-making in foreign affairs. Third, because of the stabilization of cabinets resulting from the increased coalition elasticity and coalition capacity of the political parties, there was no longer as much need, or room, for presidential intervention as there had been in earlier decades. Fourth, after the highly personalized presidency of Urho Kekkonen, there was a reaction by the political parties against the personalization of the office. The new constitution is to a large extent based on cabinet-centred governance. But at the same time it leaves room for increasing power of the prime minister. In arenas of informal decision-making, the prime minister now has much more opportunity to control the agenda of the cabinet than in the former semi-presidential system. Several factors have contributed to the rising power of the prime minister. Among these are: 1) the internationalization of politics; 2) the growth of the public sector; 3) the convergence of party ideologies; and 4) a new kind of personalized political publicity.