Finland Times

Keskusta (Centre) lawmaker Antti Kaikkonen. Photo Lehtikuva

Keskusta (centre party) lawmaker Antti Kaikkonen announced Wednesday that he would resign as the vice president of the Grand Committee of the parliament in the wake of the controversy sparked by his conviction in a case.

 

Kaikkonen took the decision in response to the opposition Perussuomalainen (True Finns) party’s demand for his resignation, although most of the political parties having representation in the parliament expressed their support for Kaikkonen continuing in the office despite being convicted.

 

‘I think it will be a wise decision to resign,’ Kaikkonen told STT, adding that the opposition party had been demanding his resignation very aggressively.

 

Perussuomalainen lawmaker Pirkko Ruohonen-Lerner. Photo Lehtikuva

Kaikkonen said he took the decision himself, but did not say anything about whether he would continue as a general member of the Grand Committee which dealt with the European Union issues.

 

‘Any decision regarding the ordinary membership of the committee is yet to be taken. It may happen that I will continue as a member and it may also happen that I will prefer some other assignment,’ said the MP from Strasbourg, where he was on a business trip.

 

Earlier the Keskusta lawmaker had disclosed his decision to resign in a posting on his personal blog.

 

Keskusta Vice President Kimmo Tiilikainen. Photo Lehtikuva

‘During the night, I asked myself if I wanted to continue as the deputy chair of the Grand Committee under the circumstances. I will not continue. The feeling has gone,’ he wrote in the blog posting on Wednesday.

 

The Perussuomalainen’s opposition has turned the issue into a burden for Kaikkonen and his party as well as his political future.

 

The demand for his removal was raised following the court judgement in the Youth Foundation’s election funding case sentencing him to conditional imprisonment. 

 

Perussuomalainen MP Ruohonen-Lerner appreciated Kaikkonen for taking the decision to quit and this resolving the issue.

 

‘It was a good decision and it is sufficient for us,’ said Ruohonen-Lerner.

 

Keskusta lawmaker Juha Sipilä. Photo Lehtikuva

Kaikkonen has made a hard decision, observed Keskusta leaders. ‘He put common interests above his personal ones,’ said Keskusta leader Juha Sipilä. 

 

 

Keskusta Vice President Kimmo Tiilikainen said Kaikkonen took a tough decision, even after the parliamentary groups had almost unanimously expressed support for him continuing in his office.

 

Earlier, Perussuomalainen leader Jussi Halla-Aho had to resign from the post of the chairman of the management committee of the parliament after the court had penalised him in a case.