Finland Times

Maria Guzenina-Richardson. Photo - Str / Lehtikuva

Outgoing Health and Social Works Minister Maria Guzenina-Richardson reportedly shunned the programme of swearing in new ministers and discharging outgoing ones on Friday.

 

Guzenina-Richardson, however, welcomed her successor at the end of the programme.

 

The outgoing education minister, Jukka Gustafsson, however, was present on the occasion.

 

Earlier, both the ministers expressed their disappointment at the party decision to drop them from the cabinet.

 

Jukka Gustafsson. Photo - Lehtikuva

Guzenina-Richardson in a message told the STT on Friday that she was on vacation after a long working period and her absence in Friday’s programme was not dramatic.

 

She also said she would go on working to complete some remaining duties and answer some pending questions made in the question-answer hour of the minister. 

 

Guzenina-Richardson, however, admitted that she was feeling sad at the turn of events.

 

Gustafsson also expressed his disappointment at being dropped from the cabinet. He also said the decision made him upset as a number of his work remained still unfinished.

 

‘Today is the last day for me to sit in the government car,’ he said, adding that as the present atmosphere was not in his favour, he was trying to cope with it.

 

Although the Social Democratic Party chief on May 17 invited Maria Guzenina-Richardson to contest the EU parliamentary polls, the outgoing minister is yet to take any decision in this regard.

 

In reaction to the party decision, Guzenina-Richardson said she was shocked at hearing the decision to drop her from the cabinet. ‘I received the news just yesterday, when I was in the compartment for ministers,’ she said on May 17, adding that she, at the same time, felt relieved at the busy schedule of a minister being finally over.