Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto (Green) retains the confidence of parliament after MPs voted by 101-68 to support him over his actions in sidelining a civil servant who disagreed with him over repatriating Finnish children from the Al-Hol camp in Syria.
Haavisto had asked that Pasi Tuominen, a senior official at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, be assigned new duties.
Tuominen had disagreed with the minister during the planning of an operation to assist Finnish children at the Al-Hol camp, which houses women and children who had been living in Isis-controlled areas of Syria.
After complaints by MPs from the National Coalition party, the Finns Party and the Christian Democratic party, parliament's Constitutional Law Committee — an organ composed of MPs which exercises some of the functions of a constitutional court — launched an investigation.
In his evidence for the committee, Haavisto had said that there was a difference of opinion over orphans with Finnish nationality in Syria.
"The director [Tuominen] said that it's good for the orphans to be in that region, when they have been temporarily placed with foster families," said Haavisto. "And said that their fathers could still be alive, we don't know if they are really orphans."
Documents published as part of the investigation show that Tuominen had also raised concerns about the safety of MFA staff sent to the camp.
Despite his reservations, Haavisto appointed a special envoy to manage the repatriation operation, and several women and children eventually returned to Finland.
Haavisto had then sought to have him appointed as ambassador in Sofia, noting that Tuominen had previously sought ambassadorial roles and it could be a 'win-win' situation.
The investigation eventually concluded that Haavisto had acted against administrative law, but not deliberately or in an aggravated manner, and he should therefore not face prosecution.
Nevertheless, opposition MPs called a confidence vote to express their opposition to the minister.
The Foreign Minister had already faced a confidence vote in December 2019, winning that vote by 110 to 79.
Haavisto ran for president in 2012 and 2018, coming second to Sauli Niinistö both times. He is widely expected to run again in 2024.
Centre displeased with outcome
Centre Party MPs voted to support Haavisto, but with great reluctance, according to party leader and Minister of Culture Annika Saarikko.
She said she was particularly concerned about the Green MPs on the Constitutional Law Committee leaving a dissenting opinion about the judgement that Haavisto had broken the law.
Another Green MP sent an email asking committee members from other government parties to change the findings.
"We consider the actions taken by the Green party to influence the Constitutional Law Committee’s verdict to be deplorable," Saarikko said.
According to Antti Kurvinen, the Centre Party's parliamentary group chair, it is the responsibility of the Green party to "clean house", ensure that it maintains the credibility of its ministers and the government.
“Ultimately, Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) is responsible for having ministers in the government act in accordance with the law,” he added.
According to information obtained by Yle, the Centre Party would have preferred minister Haavisto's resignation but voted in his favour only to save the government from dissolving in the middle of the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic.
Prime Minister Marin told news agency STT that Haavisto could continue in his position. She said that a majority in Parliament had expressed its confidence in Haavisto At the same time, government party chairs had also extended their support to Haavisto last week, she added.
Marin said she has spoken to Haavisto, who has promised to take the Constitutional Law Committee’s reproaches seriously.