2000 Finnish presidential election

2000 Finnish presidential election
← 1994 16 January 2000 (first round)
6 February 2000 (second round)		 2006 →
Turnout73.63% (first round)
76.83% (second round)
 
Candidate Tarja Halonen Esko Aho
Party SDP Centre
Popular vote 1,644,532 1,540,803
Percentage 51.63% 48.37%
  Tarja Halonen
  Esko Aho
  Elisabeth Rehn
  Tarja Halonen
  Esko Aho
President before election

Martti Ahtisaari
SDP

Elected President

Tarja Halonen
SDP

Politics of Finland
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Administrative divisions
Foreign relations

Presidential elections were held in Finland on 16 January 2000, with a second round on 6 February.[1]

The result was a victory for Tarja Halonen of the Social Democratic Party, who became the country's first female president. During the elections Halonen was the incumbent Minister for Foreign Affairs. President Martti Ahtisaari had indicated in January 1999 that he would accept the Social Democratic Party's nomination for the 2000 presidential elections, but only if no presidential primary was held. However, Jacob Söderman announced his candidacy at the start of April 1999, and during the final week of that month, Ahtisaari announced that he would not seek the Social Democratic presidential candidacy. In his memoirs, Ahtisaari claims that Tarja Halonen badly wanted to become president, a claim that Halonen has denied.

There were three other female presidential candidates in 2000: Riitta Uosukainen of the National Coalition, Elisabeth Rehn of the Swedish People's Party, and Heidi Hautala of the Greens. Halonen's popularity rose significantly during the last few months before the first round of the 2000 presidential elections, while Uosukainen's and Rehn's popularity declined. Former Prime Minister Esko Aho, the Centrist presidential candidate, emerged as the second most popular candidate. Halonen received votes from women across party lines, and she was partly helped by her lack of a major left-wing opponent, and by her reputation as a tolerant, human rights-oriented person. The election was decided by slightly over 100,000 votes, and the voter turnout was much higher than in the 1996 municipal elections or in the 1999 parliamentary elections.[2][3][4]

Candidates

[edit]
  • Gallery of announced candidates
  • Tarja Halonen
    Tarja Halonen
  • Esko Aho
    Esko Aho
  • Riitta Uosukainen
    Riitta Uosukainen
  • Elisabeth Rehn
    Elisabeth Rehn
  • Heidi Hautala
    Heidi Hautala
  • Risto Kuisma
    Risto Kuisma

Results

[edit]
CandidatePartyFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Tarja HalonenSocial Democratic Party1,224,43140.031,644,53251.63
Esko AhoCentre Party1,051,15934.361,540,80348.37
Riitta UosukainenNational Coalition Party392,30512.83
Elisabeth RehnSwedish People's Party241,8777.91
Heidi HautalaGreen League100,7403.29
Ilkka HakalehtoTrue Finns31,4051.03
Risto KuismaReform Group16,9430.55
Total3,058,860100.003,185,335100.00
Valid votes3,058,86099.703,185,33599.49
Invalid/blank votes9,2900.3016,3780.51
Total votes3,068,150100.003,201,713100.00
Registered voters/turnout4,167,20073.634,167,20476.83
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

By province

[edit]

First round

[edit]
Province Halonen Aho Uosukainen Rehn Hautala Hakalehto Kuisma Electorate Votes Valid Invalid
Southern Savonia 35,260 43,780 12,433 3,087 2,225 1,060 514 135,153 98,662 98,359 303
Northern Savonia 54,265 68,795 13,141 5,365 3,102 1,538 643 203,996 147,259 146,849 410
North Karelia 37,612 42,993 10,251 2,952 2,240 1,179 512 136,788 98,083 97,739 344
Kainuu 17,158 27,755 3,857 1,271 876 621 219 72,971 51,906 51,757 149
Uusimaa 356,278 155,713 113,873 93,360 41,165 6,290 5,115 1,030,546 774,121 771,794 2,327
Eastern Uusimaa 19,030 12,023 5,029 14,437 1,672 364 438 70,205 53,103 52,993 110
Southwest Finland 114,662 78,960 38,931 20,514 9,608 3,168 1,523 360,024 268,209 267,366 843
Tavastia Proper 43,203 30,890 15,694 4,504 2,661 970 616 131,166 98,872 98,538 334
Päijänne Tavastia 49,788 35,402 18,891 5,168 3,244 1,180 666 159,063 114,666 114,339 327
Kymenlaakso 49,686 34,703 19,433 4,561 2,836 947 835 154,744 113,433 113,001 432
South Karelia 29,343 29,528 20,283 2,027 1,818 664 433 112,325 84,394 84,096 298
Central Finland 59,858 65,501 15,592 5,731 4,645 1,555 723 210,868 154,006 153,605 401
Southern Ostrobothnia 23,336 74,567 14,157 3,495 1,454 1,454 361 158,210 119,150 118,824 326
Ostrobothnia 26,816 32,482 6,778 36,010 1,947 640 241 150,093 105,188 104,914 274
Satakunta 62,701 52,059 17,695 5,378 3,090 1,950 714 194,211 143,999 143,587 412
Pirkanmaa 120,017 81,436 38,378 13,857 9,210 3,652 1,784 358,640 269,210 268,334 876
Central Ostrobothnia 10,724 25,829 2,333 3,008 641 590 132 57,955 43,373 43,257 116
Northern Ostrobothnia 70,230 100,314 16,076 7,392 5,828 2,643 1,005 280,748 204,028 203,488 540
Lapland 42,685 55,712 9,249 3,285 2,313 926 458 164,904 115,045 114,628 417
Åland 1,779 2,717 231 6,475 165 14 11 24,590 11,443 11,392 51

Second round

[edit]
Province Halonen Aho Electorate Votes Valid Invalid
Southern Savonia 46,669 57,195 135,153 104,363 103,864 499
Northern Savonia 70,149 86,573 203,997 157,250 156,722 528
North Karelia 48,614 55,753 136,788 104,855 104,367 488
Kainuu 21,636 34,104 72,971 55,954 55,740 214
Uusimaa 495,469 290,348 1,030,549 790,870 785,817 5,053
Eastern Uusimaa 28,096 25,953 70,205 54,342 54,049 293
Southwest Finland 152,539 123,259 360,024 277,162 275,798 1,364
Tavastia Proper 56,557 45,674 131,166 102,830 102,231 599
Päijänne Tavastia 66,660 52,298 159,063 119,560 118,958 602
Kymenlaakso 67,048 50,775 154,744 118,443 117,823 620
South Karelia 41,742 44,091 112,325 86,320 85,833 487
Central Finland 78,495 84,227 210,868 163,374 162,722 652
Southern Ostrobothnia 32,065 93,911 158,210 126,547 125,976 571
Ostrobothnia 39,019 69,890 150,093 109,447 108,909 538
Satakunta 79,604 71,178 194,211 151,471 150,782 689
Pirkanmaa 157,589 120,669 358,640 279,668 278,258 1,410
Central Ostrobothnia 13,298 32,750 57,955 46,220 46,048 172
Northern Ostrobothnia 90,618 126,767 280,748 218,316 217,385 931
Lapland 53,965 68,162 164,904 122,674 122,127 547
Åland 4,700 7,226 24,590 12,047 11,926 121

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p606 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. ^ Tapani Ruokanen, On a Journey: Martti Ahtisaari's Story / Matkalla. Martti Ahtisaaren tarina. Helsinki: Otava Ltd., 2009, pgs. 397-411
  3. ^ Timo Vihavainen, "The Welfare Finland" (Hyvinvointi-Suomi), pg. 903
  4. ^ Hannu Lehtilä, Tarja Halonen: One of Us (Tarja Halonen - Yksi meistä), Helsinki: Otava Ltd., 2005
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