Paula Lehtomäki (born 29 November 1972 in
Kuhmo
Kuhmo (known as ''Kuhmoniemi'' until 1937) is a town and a municipality in Finland and is located at the south-eastern corner of the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...
) is a Finnish politician. She started her political career in 1996, when she was elected to the
Kuhmo
Kuhmo (known as ''Kuhmoniemi'' until 1937) is a town and a municipality in Finland and is located at the south-eastern corner of the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population ...
town council. In 1999 she was elected to the
Finnish Parliament
The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...
, and again in 2003. In 2002, she was elected as the vice-chairman of
Keskusta. In April 2004, she was chosen as the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, making her the youngest minister in
Matti Vanhanen's first cabinet.
She is married and the mother of three children. Her hobbies include cross country skiing, cycling, Nordic walking, badminton, and
karaoke
Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music i ...
.
On 17 April 2007 it was announced that she would be the Minister for Environment in
Matti Vanhanen's second cabinet
The second cabinet of Matti Vanhanen was the 70th cabinet and Government of Finland. The cabinet held office from 19 April 2007 to 20 June 2010. The cabinet was a centre-right-led coalition, consisting of four parties: the Centre Party, the Nati ...
. At the same time it was also announced that she is pregnant, and would take her second
maternity leave
Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, Paternity (law), paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and ...
from a ministerial post later in 2007.
She was Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers from 2019 - 2022. She is the first woman to hold the position, as well as the first person under 50. In her free time she sometimes sings in a band called Punatähdet, which means Red Star.
See also
*
Finance scandal of election in 2007 in Finland The 2007 Finnish campaign finance scandal arose in the spring of 2008 due to campaign funding issues related to the 2007 elections for the Finnish Parliament held on 18 March 2007. The scandal involves mainly the campaign funding of National Coalit ...
References
External links
Keskusta party home page(in
Finnish, English and Swedish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lehtomaki, Paula
1972 births
Living people
People from Kuhmo
Finnish Lutherans
Centre Party (Finland) politicians
Minister of the Environment of Finland
Members of the Parliament of Finland (1999–2003)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (2003–07)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (2007–11)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (2011–15)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (2015–19)
Women government ministers of Finland
21st-century Finnish women politicians
Women members of the Parliament of Finland