Ilkka Kanerva
Encyclopedia
Ilkka Armas Mikael Kanerva (born 28 January 1948) is a member of the Finnish Parliament
. He was born in Lokalahti, now a part of Uusikaupunki
in Finland Proper
. He was the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2007 to 2008. He was forced to resign from the position due to a scandal involving hundreds of text messages he sent to an erotic dancer from his work mobile phone. Kanerva left for a sick leave on 1 April, and his term officially ended on 4 April.
Kanerva is a member of the National Coalition Party
. He graduated with a master's degree
in Political Science
from the University of Turku
in 1980. Kanerva was leader of the political youth organisation Kokoomuksen Nuorten Liitto ry.
1972-1976 and was first elected to the Finnish Parliament
in 1975. As of 2008 he is longest standing Member of Parliament along with Esko-Juhani Tennilä
.
Kanerva had an active and controversial KGB
relationship during the Cold War.
As Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kanerva was the Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe for 2008.
messages within a month to Johanna Tukiainen, a 29-year-old erotic dancer. Kanerva had previously sent SMS messages to nude model Marika Fingerroos
in 2005. According to Kanerva, Tukiainen had wanted to perform with her dance group at his birthday party, and he responded to this request by text message.
On March 30 Kanerva unexpectedly cancelled his plan to participate in Lennart Meri Conference in Tallinn
, Estonia
, and returned to Finland
. The Hymy
magazine published on April 1, 2008 printed several of the messages, and on the same morning party leader Jyrki Katainen
stated that Kanerva can not continue in his position.
Kanerva was granted sick leave, and later that day it was released that his term as Foreign Minister would end on April 4, 2008 due to loss of confidence. He was replaced by Alexander Stubb
.
Parliament of Finland
The Eduskunta , is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011.- Constitution :...
. He was born in Lokalahti, now a part of Uusikaupunki
Uusikaupunki
Uusikaupunki , is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the Finland Proper region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is inland water. The population density is .The municipality is unilingually Finnish...
in Finland Proper
Finland Proper
Finland Proper or Southwest Finland , is a region in south-western Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Tavastia Proper, Ahvenanmaa and Uusimaa.- Municipalities :...
. He was the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2007 to 2008. He was forced to resign from the position due to a scandal involving hundreds of text messages he sent to an erotic dancer from his work mobile phone. Kanerva left for a sick leave on 1 April, and his term officially ended on 4 April.
Kanerva is a member of the National Coalition Party
National Coalition Party (Finland)
The National Coalition Party is a liberal conservative political party in Finland founded in 1918.The National Coalition Party is one of the four largest parties in Finland, along with the Social Democratic Party, the Centre Party and the True Finns...
. He graduated with a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from the University of Turku
University of Turku
The University of Turku , located in Turku in southwestern Finland, is the second largest university in the country as measured by student enrollment, after University of Helsinki. It was established in 1920 and also has faculties at Rauma, Pori and Salo...
in 1980. Kanerva was leader of the political youth organisation Kokoomuksen Nuorten Liitto ry.
Kokoomuksen Nuorten Liitto ry.
Coalition Party Youth League is a political youth organization in Finland. It is the youth wing of National Coalition Party.The league is member of Youth of the European People's Party , International Young Democrat Union , Nordisk Ungkonservativ Union and Democrat Youth Community of Europe ....
1972-1976 and was first elected to the Finnish Parliament
Parliament of Finland
The Eduskunta , is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011.- Constitution :...
in 1975. As of 2008 he is longest standing Member of Parliament along with Esko-Juhani Tennilä
Esko-Juhani Tennilä
Esko-Juhani Tennilä is Finnish leftist politician from Lapland and member of Parliament since 1975 until 2011.Tennilä was born in Rovaniemi and has studied in University of Tampere and worked as reporter for Hämeen Yhteistyö 1966–1975....
.
Kanerva had an active and controversial KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
relationship during the Cold War.
As Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kanerva was the Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe for 2008.
Private life
In March 2008 it was revealed that Kanerva had sent 200 SMSShort message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
messages within a month to Johanna Tukiainen, a 29-year-old erotic dancer. Kanerva had previously sent SMS messages to nude model Marika Fingerroos
Marika Fingerroos
Marika Fingerroos is a Finnish model who together with Martina Aitolehti form the singer duo Salarakkaat...
in 2005. According to Kanerva, Tukiainen had wanted to perform with her dance group at his birthday party, and he responded to this request by text message.
On March 30 Kanerva unexpectedly cancelled his plan to participate in Lennart Meri Conference in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, and returned to Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The Hymy
Hymy
Hymy is a Finnish magazine, which was launched in 1959 by publisher Urpo Lahtinen and was named after his wife Hymy Lahtinen. In the 1960s and 1970s Hymy became a success with sensationalist stories containing lots of sex and gossip about Finnish celebrities, often verging on the invasion of privacy...
magazine published on April 1, 2008 printed several of the messages, and on the same morning party leader Jyrki Katainen
Jyrki Katainen
Jyrki Tapani Katainen is the Prime Minister of Finland and chairman of the country's largest party, the National Coalition Party.-Career:...
stated that Kanerva can not continue in his position.
Kanerva was granted sick leave, and later that day it was released that his term as Foreign Minister would end on April 4, 2008 due to loss of confidence. He was replaced by Alexander Stubb
Alexander Stubb
Cai-Göran Alexander Stubb is a Finnish politician and Minister for Foreign Affairs from 4 April 2008 to 22 June 2011...
.
Career
- Member of ParliamentParliament of FinlandThe Eduskunta , is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011.- Constitution :...
(Varsinais-Suomi constituency) 1975– - Minister at the Prime Minister's Office 1987–1990 (Harri Holkeri's cabinet)
- Minister at the Ministry of Finance 1989-1991 (Harri Holkeri's cabinet)
- Minister of Transport 1990–1991 (Harri Holkeri's cabinet)
- Minister of Labour and Minister at the Ministry of Finance 1991-1995 (Esko AhoEsko AhoEsko Tapani Aho is a statesman and former Prime Minister of Finland.-Early life and career:Aho was born in Veteli, Finland. Prior to attending university, he began a career in politics. From 1974 to 1979, he was Chairman of the Finnish Centre Youth, which had before him grown many of his...
's cabinet) - Deputy Prime MinisterDeputy Prime Minister of FinlandThe Deputy Prime Minister of Finland is a member of the Council of State who becomes the acting Prime Minister when the actual Prime Minister is temporarily unable to discharge his or her duties. The Deputy Prime Minister is appointed by the Council of State and traditionally comes from the second...
(April–August 1991) - Chair, Parliamentary Defence Committee 1999-2003
- Second Deputy Speaker of ParliamentParliament of FinlandThe Eduskunta , is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011.- Constitution :...
2003–2007 - First Deputy Speaker of ParliamentParliament of FinlandThe Eduskunta , is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011.- Constitution :...
(March to April 2007) - Minister for Foreign Affairs 2007–2008.