Timo Soini

[[File:Iso Paja 017.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Soini in 2007]]
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'''Timo Soini''' {{lived|1962}} is a [[Finland|Finnish]] politician and a former member of Finnish Parliament as well as the [[European Parliament]], who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister from 2015 to 2019, currently a member of the Blue Reform party. Soini is a [[right-wing]] [[populist]].<ref>[http://www.dw.com/en/finland-names-right-wing-populist-as-foreign-minister/a-18479865 Finland names right-wing populist as foreign minister - Deutsche Welle]</ref> He has stated that he is one of the few republicans in Finland<ref name="a">[http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/a1440993423873 Timo Soini samastuu USA:n oikeistoon: Olen Suomen harvoja republikaaneja - Helsingin Sanomat (Finnish)]</ref>—not that there is an exact analogue to the U.S. [[Republican Party]] in Finland. Soini is known for his excellent oratorical skills and his ability to condense complex political questions into easily digestible soundbites, which has brought him considerable popularity and record-breaking numbers of personal votes.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110423083049/http://www.hs.fi/english/article/bSUNDAY+NIGHTb+True+Finns+and+Greens+advance+in+European+Parliament+elections+as+big+parties+suffer/1135246579175</ref>

Soini was one of the founders of the True Finns party (later renamed the [[Finns Party]]), and its long-time leader. He considers himself the heir of the populist hero {{wpl|Veikko Vennamo}} (1913-1997),<ref>https://www.verkkouutiset.fi/timo-soini-siniset-jatkaa-smpn-perintoa-pssta-siihen-ei-enaa-ole/</ref> who employed the same tactics: anti-elitism and opposition to the mainstream consensus. In 2011, he led his small party to an unprecedented victory, gaining 19.1% of the votes and securing seats in the Finnish Government. However, in 2017, the True Finns general party conference elected an immigration critic [[Jussi Halla-aho]] as chairman. In response, the partner parties—National Coalition and Centre Party—threw the party out of government. Soini among other dissenters defected from the True Finns party and founded a new parliamentary group, temporarily called New Alternative (''Uusi Vaihtoehto''), then Blue Reform (''Sininen tulevaisuus''), and Soini got to keep his position in the government.<ref>https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000005261516.html</ref> In a twist of irony, this displays exactly the kind of hypocritical "spine made of banknotes" (''seteliselkärankaisuus'') that his idol Vennamo criticised defectors from his party of.<ref>https://www.iltalehti.fi/politiikka/201706132200205053_pi.shtml</ref>In 2019 General Elections, the Blue Alternative dropped to less than 1% national support and fell out of the Finnish Parliament.<ref>http://www.stat.fi/til/evaa/2019/evaa_2019_2019-04-16_tie_001_en.html</ref> Timo Soini did not run himself for office in that election.

He is [[Catholic]] convert, having converted from the [[Lutheran]] faith of the majority. This is very unusual in Finland, where Catholicism was almost wiped out by the [[Protestant Reformation]] in the 16th century, and remains a minority religion (<0.5%). He said that opposition to [[female ordination]] to priesthood drove him to Catholicism.<ref name="is">[http://www.iltasanomat.fi/kotimaa/art-2000000027195.html Timo Soini: Naispappeus ajoi minut katolilaiseksi - Ilta-Sanomat (Finnish)]</ref> Soini considers [[marriage]] to be something only for straight couples because "sexuality is only for a husband and a wife, and that's just it".<ref name="is" /> He's also [[pro-life]].<ref name="a"></ref> These views would be unremarkable in the U.S., but they place him in a small political minority in Finland. Although he is not a very liberal person, he comes nowhere close to the silliness of his [[Republican Party|American colleagues]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{wpa|Timo Soini}}
*[http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-13111468 BBC article about Soini]
{{stub|politics}}

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[[Category:Finland]]
[[Category:European politicians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Catholicism]]
[[Category:Homophobes]]

Categories: Finland, European politicians, Living people, Catholicism, Homophobes