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Home NATIONALPekka Haavisto to take over as Int’l Dev minister
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Thu, 17 Oct, 2013 12:06:34 AM
Vihreät nominates minister to replace Hautala
FTimes-STT Report, October 17
 
Green Party nominates Pekka Haavisto, as the new International Development minister on Wednesday. Photo – Lehtikuva.
Vihreät’s (Green Party) former chief, Pekka Haavisto is going to take over as the minister for International Development replacing the party minister Heidi Hautala, who announced her resignation following a controversy.
 
The party steering committee and parliamentary group at a joint meeting finalised the name of Haavisto as the new minister late Wednesday night and he is expected to take over the charge today.
 
The meeting also brought changes in its parliamentary group to ensure gender equity in leading positions and decided to appoint Outi Alanko-Kahiluoto as the group chief instead of Oras Tynkkynen, meeting sources said.
 
Haavisto, who led the party from 1993 to 1995 also worked as the minister for Environment and Development Cooperation during the past Lipponen goverment.
 
The outgoing Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala. Photo – Lehtikuva.
At present he is special representative of the European Union to Sudan and holding key posts in some organisations including the global conservation organisation.
 
Earlier, in the afternoon the leaders of the Green Party, a component of the six-party alliance government sat in the meeting to nominate the new minister to replace the International Development minister following Heidi Hautala’s decision of resignation.
 
Hautala on October 11 announced to resign from the cabinet taking the responsibility for her assistant’s action of influencing a state-owned company to withdraw the police complaint submitted against Greenpeace activists last year.
 
 “I have to take the responsibility of the role of my assistant to handle the issue,” said the minister at the press conference, adding that the best way for her is to quit the ministerial position under the present circumstances.
 
The minister admitted at the press conference that her assistant communicated with the Arctia Shipping company to refrain them from making a police complaint against the Greenpeace activists.
 
The Prime Minister, leaders of other components and Hautala’s own party chief hailed her decision to resign.
 
Earlier, the Prime Minister, Jyrki Katainen, on October 9 asked explanation from Hautala regarding the allegation.
 
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