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Legislative chair of the government of Finland
The
speaker of the Parliament of Finland
(
Finnish
eduskunnan puhemies
,
Swedish
riksdagens talman
), along with two deputy speakers, is elected by
Parliament
during the first plenary session each year. Speakers are chosen for a year at a time. In addition to their preparing the work in plenary sessions the speakers also play a key role in Parliament's international co-operation, which includes visits by speakers and international delegations as well as participation in numerous interparliamentary organisations.
The speaker and two deputy speakers are elected by parliament from among its members by secret ballot. After the election the speaker and deputy speakers each make the following solemn affirmation before Parliament:
- "I, ..., affirm that in my office as speaker I will to the best of my ability defend the rights of the people, parliament and the government of Finland according to the Constitution."
Formally, the speaker
ranks second in the protocol
, after the
president of Finland
and before the
prime minister of Finland
.
[2]
The speaker is the
chairman
of the parliament, who grants the floor for speeches and replies, makes voting proposals and decides on the final order of business.
[3]
An interim speaker is elected for the duration of government formation talks. The speaker's duties are defined in the
Constitution of Finland
and the parliament's rules of procedure.
[4]
[5]
The title
puhemies
or
talman
has, both in Finnish and Swedish, the literal meaning 'spokesman', which has caused mild controversies in terms of
sexism
in language. However, according to official language authorities, the title is not easy to change to a more gender-neutral alternative due to its "strong connection to the institution and history of the Parliament".
[6]
If there is a tie in the Speaker's Council the speaker is given a
tie-breaking
vote.
[7]
List of speakers of the Parliament of Finland
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List of deputy speakers
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First deputy speakers
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Second deputy speakers
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See also
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References
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External links
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