Long-time Christian Democratic Party chair Päivi Räsänen said in a statement Monday that she will be handing over the reins of the party when delegates meet to vote in a new leadership in Savonlinna in August. She cited the party's election losses as the reason for her decision to step aside.
“Until then I shall continue to be responsible for the party that according to the mandate that I was given by party delegates two years ago,” Räsänen said.
The former Interior Minister has led the party for 10 years. She said that she is grateful for the opportunity.
“My most important accomplishment during this time has been to see the party’s influence grow,” she wrote.
“During this period we have seen our card of candidates produce successful election coalition negotiations with the administrations of Jyrki Katainen and Alexander Stubb between 2009 and 2014 and have also produced Members of the European Parliament. As a result the party has been able to wield a strong influence on Finnish society and has also developed its expertise in a wide range of areas,” she added.
Räsänen said that she hoped to see a fair contest among contenders for the chair in Savonlinna and added that in her opinion the party should be “led from the Parliament”, implying that the new chair should be a sitting MP.
In addition to Räsänen, the Christian Democratic Party has four other MPs in the parliament: Sari Essayah, Antero Laukkanen, Sari Tanus and Peter Östman.