“At the start of my term, I made a significant initiative to curtail the president’s power. Now I have a bad conscience over this,” Koivisto confessed in the letter.
The elder statesman, now 88, is concerned about the president’s reduced power both in internal and foreign politics.
“First of all I worry whether the president has sufficient authority in negotiations with other countries’ foreign policy leaders”, Koivisto said.
The president writes that during his terms (1982-1994), he tried to ensure that Finland had a majority government.
Now Koivisto is concerned about the president’s role in the formation of the government. The matter became especially pertinent during the difficult government formation talks last spring, where President Tarja Halonen was relegated to the sidelines.
Koivisto writes: “I felt a jab at my heart when I saw how the president was reduced to a mere observer in the difficult and prolonged government formation talks.”
Koivisto also discussed the president’s limited influence with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs as well as in choosing the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Koivisto's thoughts provoked lively conversation in the YLE election debate on Thursday evening.
Presidential candidates Paavo Väyrynen of the Centre and Timo Soini of the Finns' Party were along the same lines with Koivisto, while other candidates preferred to emphasise good co-operation between the president and the government.