Antti Kaikkonen

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Antti Kaikkonen

| image = Antti Kaikkonen 2019.jpg

| caption = Kaikkonen in 2019.

| office = Minister of Defence

| term_start1 = {{start date|2019|6|6|df=y}}

| term_end1 = {{end date|2023|1|5|df=y}}

| term_start = 28 February

| term_end = {{end date|2023|6|20|df=y}}

| successor = Antti Häkkänen

| primeminister1 = {{plainlist|

Antti Rinne
Sanna Marin

}}

| primeminister = Sanna Marin

| predecessor1 = Jussi Niinistö

| predecessor = Mikko Savola

| successor1 = Mikko Savola

| office2 = Member of the Finnish Parliament
for Uusimaa

| constituency2 =

| term_start2 = 19 March 2003

| term_end2 =

| office3 = Leader of the Centre Party

| term_start3 = 15 June 2024

| term_end3 =

| predecessor3 = Annika Saarikko

| birth_name = Antti Samuli Kaikkonen

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1974|02|14|df=y}}

| birth_place = Turku, Southwest Finland, Finland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma_mater =

| occupation = Politician

| party = Centre

}}

Antti Samuli Kaikkonen (born 14 February 1974 in Turku, Finland) is a Finnish politician who has served as chair of the Centre Party since June 2024.{{Cite web | title=Centre Party picks Kaikkonen as new leader, NCP re-elects Orpo |publisher=yle.fi |work=yle |date=15 June 2024 |access-date=15 June 2024 |url=https://yle.fi/a/74-20094263 }} He has been a member of the Finnish Parliament from Uusimaa since 2003. He served as Minister of Defence from 2019 to 2023. Kaikkonen was the president of Finnish Centre Youth from 1997 to 2001. He has also been a member of Finnish Delegation to the Council of Europe since 2004.{{cite web|url=http://www.eduskunta.fi/triphome/bin/hex5000.sh?hnro=772&kieli=en |title=Antti Kaikkonen |author= |date=20 September 2012 |publisher=Parliament of Finland |accessdate=26 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120824164033/http://www.eduskunta.fi/triphome/bin/hex5000.sh?hnro=772&kieli=en |archivedate=24 August 2012 }}

In 2013, Kaikkonen was convicted of corruption charges stemming from a campaign financing scandal.{{cite news |title=Suspended prison sentences in campaign financing scandal |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/suspended_prison_sentences_in_campaign_financing_scandal/6472350 |accessdate=7 May 2020 |work=YLE |date=30 January 2013}}

On 21 June 2016, Kaikkonen was chosen as the chairman of the Centre Party's parliamentary group.{{cite web |url=http://www.hs.fi/politiikka/a1466473626964 |title= Antti Kaikkonen valittiin keskustan eduskuntaryhmän johtoon |date= 21 June 2016 |work= Helsingin Sanomat |accessdate=21 June 2016}}

By 2019, Kaikkonen was parliamentary head of the coalition-leading Centre Party. Amidst the Oulu child sexual exploitation scandal, he called for all party heads in Parliament to meet, and declared "everyone who comes to Finland has to follow the local laws".{{cite news |last1=Tarmo Virki |title=Sex abuse cases color immigration debate before Finnish election |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-finland-politics-crimes/sex-abuse-cases-color-immigration-debate-before-finnish-election-idUSKCN1P70OE |accessdate=31 January 2019 |work=Reuters |date=13 January 2019 |quote=Antti Kaikkonen, parliamentary head of the coalition-leading Centre Party, called for a meeting of all the parliamentary party heads, tweeting: “Everyone who comes to Finland has to follow the local laws.”}}

File:221013-D-TT977-0251 (52425279494).jpg and Swedish Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist in Brussels, 13 October 2022]]

Campaign finance scandal

In the autumn of 2009, Kaikkonen received his share of the campaign finance. At that time, it was brought to public, that the Youth Foundation, of which Kaikkonen had been the chairman of the board since 2003, had distributed election support money to Kaikkonen, in municipal-, parliamentary-, and European Parliament -elections. In addition, it had also financed Matti Vanhanen's presidential election campaign, among other things.{{Cite web|date=21 September 2009|title=Säätiöjohtaja puolustaa vaalitukien jakamista|url=https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/saatiojohtaja-puolustaa-vaalitukien-jakamista/1872738|access-date=1 September 2020|website=mtvuutiset.fi|language=fi}} Kaikkonen resigned from the chairman's place, and then stayed as a member of the board.{{Cite web|title=Kaikkonen jättää Nuorisosäätiön puheenjohtajuuden|url=http://yle.fi/uutiset/kaikkonen_jattaa_nuorisosaation_puheenjohtajuuden/5886222|access-date=1 September 2020|website=Yle Uutiset|language=fi}}

The prosecutor demanded Kaikkonen's imprisonment in the Youth Foundation bribery trial, that began on 16 January 2012. In January 2013, the Helsinki District Court sentenced Kaikkonen to five months in conditional discharge for abuse of trust.{{Cite web|last=Ovaskainen|first=Teppo|title=Antti Kaikkoselle ehdollinen vankeustuomio|url=https://www.uusisuomi.fi/uutiset/antti-kaikkoselle-ehdollinen-vankeustuomio/e95bd9e5-7168-377d-80b0-96dad7ec878a|access-date=1 September 2020|website=Uusi Suomi|language=fi}} He did not appeal his verdict.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Antti Kaikkonen: En valita tuomiosta – "Kaksinkertainen rangaistus"|url=https://www.uusisuomi.fi/uutiset/antti-kaikkonen-en-valita-tuomiosta-kaksinkertainen-rangaistus/75a7d911-9e69-3a39-8a13-cf644c8f72dd|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=1 September 2020|website=Uusi Suomi|language=fi}}

Personal life

Kaikkonen has two children; Kaikkonen announced that he would take parental leave in early 2023.{{Cite web |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=2022-12-15 |title=Finland defence minister to take two months' paternity leave amid Nato bid |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/16/finland-defence-minister-to-take-two-months-paternity-leave-amid-nato-bid |website=theguardian.com |language=en}}

Honours

55x55px Order of the Cross of Liberty (Finland, 2022){{Cite web |date=2022-12-01 |title=Ministeri Kaikkoselle 1. luokan Vapaudenristi rintatähden kera – "En oikein osaa muuta sanoa kuin kiitos, iso kiitos" |url=https://www.suomenmaa.fi/uutiset/ministeri-kaikkoselle-1-luokan-vapaudenristi-rintatahden-kera-en-oikein-osaa-muuta-sanoa-kuin-kiitos-iso-kiitos/ |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=Suomenmaa |language=fi}}
55x55px Order of the White Rose of Finland (Finland, 2022){{Cite web |date=2016-12-01 |title=Kunniamerkkien saajat julki – kunniamerkkikoneesta löydät kaikki nimet |url=https://yle.fi/a/3-9324773 |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=Yle Uutiset |language=fi}}
55x55px Cross of Merit of the War Invalides (Finland, 2021){{Cite web |date=2019-02-12 |title=Henkilötiedot |url=https://www.anttikaikkonen.fi/henkilo/ |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=Antti Kaikkonen |language=fi}}
55x55px Military merit medal (Finland, 2020){{Cite web |date=2020-06-03 |title=Kaikkoselle sotilasansiomitali |url=https://www.anttikaikkonen.fi/2020/06/03/kaikkoselle-sotilasansiomitali/ |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=Antti Kaikkonen |language=fi}}
55x55px Royal Order of the Polar Star (Sweden, 2022){{cite web|url=https://editorial01.shutterstock.com/wm-preview-1500/12943265bg/ca7e21ca/Shutterstock_12943265bg.jpg|title=Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen wearing the Royal Order of the Polar Star at the banquet in honour of the President of Finland at Stockholm in May 2022.|date=17 May 2022|access-date=18 October 2022|website=Shutterstock}}

References

Category:1974 births

Category:Living people

Category:Politicians from Turku

Category:Centre Party (Finland) politicians

Category:Ministers of defence of Finland

Category:Members of the Parliament of Finland (2003–2007)

Category:Members of the Parliament of Finland (2007–2011)

Category:Members of the Parliament of Finland (2011–2015)

Category:Members of the Parliament of Finland (2015–2019)

Category:Members of the Parliament of Finland (2019–2023)

Category:Members of the Parliament of Finland (2023–2027)