Päivi Räsänen
Päivi Räsänen | |
|---|---|
Räsänen in 2023 | |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 22 June 2011 – 29 May 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Jyrki Katainen Alexander Stubb |
| Preceded by | Anne Holmlund |
| Succeeded by | Petteri Orpo |
| Member of the Finnish Parliament | |
| Assumed office 24 March 1995 | |
| Leader of the Finnish Christian Democrats | |
| In office 2 October 2004 – 28 August 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Bjarne Kallis |
| Succeeded by | Sari Essayah |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 December 1959 Sonkajärvi, Northern Savonia, Finland |
| Political party | Christian Democrats |
| Children | 5 |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Profession | Licentiate in Medicine |
| Website | www |
Päivi Maria Räsänen, née Kuvaja (born 19 December 1959), is a Finnish politician. The chairwoman of the Christian Democrats from 2004 to 2015, she was the Minister of the Interior of Finland between 2011 and 2015.
A physician by education, Räsänen entered politics in the early 1990s, running for parliament in 1991. She has been in the Riihimäki City Council since 1993, and in the Finnish Parliament since 1995. She was elected the chairperson of the Christian Democrats on 2 October 2004. Following the government formation after the 2011 election, which led to the Christian Democrats joining the government, Räsänen was nominated by the party as the Minister of the Interior in the 72nd Finnish Cabinet led by Jyrki Katainen, and she was inaugurated along with the government on 22 June 2011.