Maija Riitta Perho (born 29 May 1948) is a Finnish politician. She represented Varsinais-Suomi in the Parliament of Finland from 1991 to 2007 as a member of the National Coalition Party. From 1999 to 2003, she was Finland's minister of social affairs and health in the cabinet of Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen.
Maija Perho | |
|---|---|
 Perho in 2011 | |
| Member of the Parliament of Finland | |
| In office 22 March 1991 – 20 March 2007[1] | |
| Constituency | Varsinais-Suomi |
| Finland Minister of Social Affairs and Health | |
| In office 15 April 1999 – 17 April 2003[2] | |
| Prime Minister | Paavo Lipponen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Maija Riitta Perho 29 May 1948 Ypäjä, Finland |
| Political party | National Coalition Party |
| Alma mater | University of Turku |
Early life and education
editPerho was born on 29 May 1948 in Ypäjä, Finland.[3] She is the daughter of Heikki Perho, a farmer who was a member of the Finnish Parliament as a member of the National Coalition Party (NCP) from 1975 to 1991.[4][5] She completed the national matriculation exam in 1967. Perho was active in politics as a student, and recruited future president Sauli Niinistö into the student branch of the NCP in 1968.[1][3] Perho attended the University of Turku, receiving a master's degree in social sciences in 1974.[1]
Career
editAfter graduating, Perho became a planning secretary at the Turku health centre, and from 1979 to 1985 she worked at the city's planning department.[1] She was a Turku city councillor from 1981 to 1985, and afterwards became the city's first female director of social services.[1][6]
In 1991, Perho was elected to the Parliament of Finland to represent Turku Province South (later renamed Varsinais-Suomi), the district that her father had represented for the preceding 16 years.[5][6] Throughout her time in Parliament, she was a member of several parliamentary committees, including Social Affairs and Health, Finance, and the Committee for the Future.[1] Perho unsuccessfully challenged Pertti Salolainen for the role of NCP chair during her first term; she later became the party's secretary in 1995 and vice chair in 2003.[1][3]
Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen appointed Perho as minister of social affairs and health in his second cabinet in 1999.[2] As minister, she worked on proposals to reform the national pension system and Kela, the social security agency.[3] During her tenure, she signed a mutual social security agreement with Latvia and negotiated a cooperative healthcare agreement with Russia.[7][8]
Perho lost a re-election bid in 2007.[6] After leaving Parliament, she continued working in health policy organisations and has held leadership roles in various arts and theatre groups.[3] She was recognized as an honorary member of the NCP in 2018.[9]
Personal life
editPerho married Markku Lehtinen, a Turku city official, in 1997.[10][6] She has two daughters from a previous marriage. Perho and Lehtinen divorced in 2017.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Maija Perho" (in Finnish). Eduskunta Riksdagen. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Ministerin tiedot: Perho, Maija Riitta" (in Finnish). Valtioneuvosto Statsrådet. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Maija Perho". Finnish Government. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ Jaakko, Hautamäki (29 May 1998). "Loimaan plikka pärjää". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Heikki Perho" (in Finnish). Eduskunta Riksdagen. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Wirtavuori, Sanna (21 June 2020). "Entinen poliitikko Maija Perho: 'Avioliittoni loppu oli nöyryyttävä'". Apu (in Finnish). Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Suomi solmi sosiaaliturva-sopimuksen Latvian kanssa". Yleisradio Oy (in Finnish). 11 May 1999. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Suomi ja Venäjä terveydenhuollon yhteistyöhön". Yleisradio Oy (in Finnish). 3 September 2001. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Kykyjenetsijä palkittiin: Sauli Niinistön kokoomuksen jäseneksi hankkinut Maija Perho puolueen kunniajäseneksi". Ilkka-Pohjalainen (in Finnish). 10 June 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Maija Perho kihlautui". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 9 May 1996. Retrieved 29 April 2021.