Vilhelm Junnila

Vilhelm Junnila
Junnila in 2023
Minister of Economic Affairs
In office
20 June 2023  6 July 2023
Prime MinisterPetteri Orpo
Preceded byMika Lintilä
Succeeded byWille Rydman
Member of Parliament
for Finland Proper
Assumed office
17 April 2019
Personal details
Born (1982-03-06) 6 March 1982
Naantali, Southwest Finland, Finland
Political partyFinns Party

Lassi Vilhelm Junnila (born 6 March 1982 in Naantali) is a Finnish politician currently serving in the Parliament of Finland, representing the constituency of Finland Proper. He is a member of the Finns Party. He is currently a member in three committees: the Constitutional Law Committee (vice chairperson), the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Intelligence Oversight Committee. He is also a member in the Finnish delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Finns Party parliamentary group´s vice chairperson.

He was elected to the parliament in 2019 with 10,788 personal votes. In 2023 elections he was elected again with 8303 votes. Junnila is also a member of the Naantali City Council.

In June 2023, he was appointed Minister of Economic Affairs in the Orpo Cabinet. After appointment, Junnila's past actions and potential connections to neo-Nazi organizations became a subject of heated discussion. On 30 June, Junnila announced that he would resign, making his term as a government minister one of the shortest in the political history of Finland since Lennart Oesch, who served as deputy Minister of Internal Affairs for 12 days in 1932. Junnila was succeeded by Wille Rydman as Minister of Economic Affairs on 6 July.

According to an aide, Junnila has previously worked at Fortum Oil and Gas and Neste Oil in IT, at the insulation and scaffolding company Arma Oy, and at smaller companies.