Editing Finland (section)

===President===
{{Main|President of Finland}}
Finland's [[head of state]] is the [[President of Finland|President of the Republic]]. Finland had, for most of its independence a [[semi-presidential system]] of government, but in the last few decades the powers of the president have become more circumscribed, and consequently the country is now considered a [[parliamentary republic]].<ref name="Parliamentary">{{Cite journal |last=Nousiainen |first=Jaakko |date=June 2001 |title=From semi-presidentialism to parliamentary government: political and constitutional developments in Finland |journal=Scandinavian Political Studies |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=95–109 |doi=10.1111/1467-9477.00048  | issn=0080-6757}}</ref> A new constitution, enacted in 2000, made the presidency primarily a ceremonial office. The president appoints the [[Prime Minister of Finland|prime minister]] as elected by [[Parliament of Finland|Parliament]], appoints and dismisses the other ministers of the [[Finnish Government]] on the recommendation of the prime minister, opens parliamentary sessions, and confers state honors. Nevertheless, the president remains responsible for Finland's [[foreign relations of Finland|foreign relations]], including the making of war and peace, but excluding matters related to the [[European Union]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Finland's Next President Will Face a Changed Security Landscape |url=https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/finlands-next-president-will-face-changed-security-landscape |access-date=5 April 2025 |website=Rusi |language=en}}</ref> Moreover, the president exercises supreme command over the [[Finnish Defence Forces]] as commander-in-chief. In the exercise of his or her foreign and defense powers, the president is required to consult the [[Finnish government]], but the government's advice is not binding. In addition, the president has several domestic [[reserve powers]], including the authority to veto legislation, to grant pardons, and to appoint several public officials.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Duties |url=https://www.presidentti.fi/en/presidency/duties/ |access-date=3 March 2025 |website=Presidentti |language=en-US}}</ref> The president is also required by the Constitution to dismiss individual ministers or the entire government upon a parliamentary vote of no confidence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Finland_2011?lang=en|title=Constitution of Finland, 1999 (rev. 2011)|publisher=Constitute Project|access-date=5 March 2022|archive-date=5 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305070137/https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Finland_2011?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref>

The president is directly elected via [[Two-round system|runoff voting]] and may serve for a maximum of two consecutive 6-year terms. The current president is [[Alexander Stubb]], who took office on [[2024 Finnish presidential election|1 March 2024]]. His predecessors were [[Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg]] (1919–1925), [[Lauri Kristian Relander]] (1925–1931), [[Pehr Evind Svinhufvud]] (1931–1937), [[Kyösti Kallio]] (1937–1940), [[Risto Ryti]] (1940–1944), [[Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim]] (1944–1946), [[Juho Kusti Paasikivi]] (1946–1956), [[Urho Kekkonen]] (1956–1982), [[Mauno Koivisto]] (1982–1994), [[Martti Ahtisaari]] (1994–2000), [[Tarja Halonen]] (2000–2012), and [[Sauli Niinistö]] (2012–2024).