| Päivi Räsänen | |
|---|---|
| Räsänen in Espoo in 2009 | |
| Minister of the Interior of Finland | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office June 22, 2011 |
|
| Prime Minister | Jyrki Katainen |
| Preceded by | Anne Holmlund |
| Member of the Finnish Parliament | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1995 |
|
| Chairperson of the Finnish Christian Democrats | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office October 2, 2004 |
|
| Preceded by | Bjarne Kallis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 19, 1959 Sonkajärvi |
| Political party | Christian Democrats |
| Occupation | physician |
| Profession | Licentiate in Medicine |
| Religion | Evangelical Lutheran |
| Website | Official website |
Päivi Maria Räsänen, née Kuvaja (born December 19, 1959, in Sonkajärvi, Finland[1]), is a Finnish politician. The chairwoman of the Christian Democrats since 2004, she is the current Minister of the Interior of Finland.[2]
A physician by education, Räsänen got into politics in the early 1990s, running for parliament in 1991. She has been in the Riihimäki City Council since 1993, and in the Finnish Parliament since 1995. She was elected the chairperson of the Christian Democrats in October 2, 2004.[3] Resulting from the government formation after the 2011 election, which led to the Christian Democrats joining the government, Räsänen was nominated by the party as the Minister of the Interior in the 72nd Finnish Cabinet led by Jyrki Katainen,[4] and she was inaugurated along with the government on June 22, 2011.[2]
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Räsänen has been characterized as a conservative. On October 12, 2010, Räsänen was one of the participants on a live TV debate Homoilta, the guests of which debated on same-sex marriage and LGBT rights in general. The program was followed by an unprecedented exodus from the Evangelical Lutheran Church — in a few weeks, nearly 40,000 members left the Church through the website eroakirkosta.fi.[5][6] Räsänen was on the show representing her party and herself as a Christian individual alongside with five other opponents of gay marriage, but the resignations were specifically attributed to her by then-Minister of Culture and Sports Stefan Wallin.[7] Räsänen thinks homosexual acts are a sin[8] and she herself did not consider her views "specifically extreme".[9]
When interviewed by Ylioppilaslehti on October 29, 2010, Räsänen said that she would favor Christians over Muslims when selecting asylum seekers to Finland due to Muslims', in her opinion, "difficulties to adjust to the Finnish culture".[10] Her comments were condemned as "incomprehensible and merciless" by then-Minister of Migration and European Affairs Astrid Thors and then-Minister of Culture and Sports Stefan Wallin.[11] Räsänen responded to the criticism, saying her comments were misinterpreted, since she did not consider religion as the main criterion for asylum seekers' admissions, but instead she wanted to highlight the benefits of refugees' integration through religious connections.[12]
During her parliamentary career she has worked in the:
Finnish Delegation to the Nordic Council
Räsänen is married and has five children. She lives in Riihimäki.[1]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Anne Holmlund |
Minister of the Interior of Finland June 22, 2011 — |
Succeeded by incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Bjarne Kallis |
Chairperson the Finnish Christian Democrats October 2, 2004 — |
Succeeded by incumbent |