Eero Heinäluoma

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Eero Heinäluoma

Eero Olavi Heinäluoma (born July 4, 1955 in Kokkola) is the former Chairman of the Finnish Social Democratic Party. In June 2008, he was replaced by Jutta Urpilainen.

Heinäluoma was elected Chairman in June 2005, succeeding former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen. He was the Minister of Finance of Finland between 2005 and 2007.

Heinäluoma held various posts in the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) from 1983 to 2003. He was a director in SAK from 2000 to 2003. Heinäluoma was appointed as Party secretary in 2002 and in the 2003 Parliamentary election, he was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Electoral District of Uusimaa. Ever since he took up the post of Party secretary he had, according to many, been groomed as Lipponen's heir.

He won on the first ballot, getting 201 of 350 votes. His rivals were Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, with 138 votes, and Minister of Education Tuula Haatainen, with 11 votes.

As party chairman, Heinäluoma ordered a reshuffle of SDP cabinet ministers and assumed the position of Minister of Finance on September 23, 2005. In 2007 elections, the party led by Heinäluoma suffered a significant loss, losing 15% of their seats in the parliament, and having the worst result since 1962.

Heinäluoma has studied political sciences, but has not finished his degree. ^[1]