President of Finland

The President of Finland (Suomen Tasavallan Presidentti; Republiken Finlands President) is the Head of State of Finland. The President of the Republic is elected directly by the people for a term of six years. Since 1991, no president may be elected for more than two consecutive terms. Under the Constitution of Finland, the President must be a native-born Finnish citizen. The office was established by the Constitution Act of 1919. The current office-holder is President Tarja Halonen.

Inauguration

The President-elect, accompanied by the Speaker of the Parliament and the outgoing President, assumes office on the first day of the month following the election by making the following solemn affirmation in both Finnish and Swedish at a ceremony in Parliament House:

Related Topics:
Speaker of the Parliament - Finnish - Swedish

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"I, N.N., whom the people of Finland have elected President of the Republic of Finland, affirm that in the execution of my office as President I shall sincerely and faithfully observe the Constitution and laws of the Republic and to the best of my ability promote the success of the Finnish people."

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The term of the President-elect begins and that of their predecessor ends at the moment the solemn affirmation has been made (about 12:20 on the day of the inauguration). After the inauguration, the new President, accompanied by his or her predecessor, inspects the Guard of Honour outside Parliament House.

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