Vilhelm Junnila
Vilhelm Junnila | |
|---|---|
Junnila in 2023 | |
| Minister of Economic Affairs | |
| In office 20 June 2023 – 6 July 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Petteri Orpo |
| Preceded by | Mika Lintilä |
| Succeeded by | Wille Rydman |
| Member of Parliament for Finland Proper | |
| Assumed office 17 April 2019 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 March 1982 Naantali, Southwest Finland, Finland |
| Political party | Finns 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.