Katri Kulmuni | |
|---|---|
 Kulmuni in 2024 | |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| Assumed office 16 July 2024 | |
| Constituency | Finland |
| 34thDeputy Prime Minister of Finland | |
| In office 12 September 2019 – 9 June 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Antti Rinne Sanna Marin |
| Preceded by | Mika Lintilä |
| Succeeded by | Matti Vanhanen |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 10 December 2019 – 9 June 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Sanna Marin |
| Preceded by | Mika Lintilä |
| Succeeded by | Matti Vanhanen[1] |
| Minister of Economic Affairs | |
| In office 6 June 2019 – 10 December 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Antti Rinne |
| Preceded by | Mika Lintilä |
| Succeeded by | Mika Lintilä |
| Leader of the Centre Party | |
| In office 7 September 2019 – 5 September 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Juha Sipilä |
| Succeeded by | Annika Saarikko |
| Member of theFinnish Parliament forLapland | |
| In office 22 April 2015 – 16 July 2024 | |
| Succeeded by | Mika Riipi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Katri Briitta Ilona Kulmuni (1987-09-04)4 September 1987 (age 38) |
| Political party | Centre |
| Spouse | Jyrki Peisa |
| Alma mater | University of Lapland (MSS) |
| Website | katrikulmuni |
Katri Briitta Ilona Kulmuni (born 4 September 1987) is a Finnish politician who served as the 35thdeputy prime minister of Finland and the leader of theCentre Party between 2019 and 2020.[2] A member of the Centre Party, she was aMember of Parliament from 2015 to 2024. In the2024 European Parliament election, she was elected to the European Parliament.
Katri Kulmuni's childhood home is on an old family farm where the Kulmuni family has lived since the 15th century. Her father is a rural small business owner and her mother a special education teacher. Kulmuni's hometownTornio is close to the Finnish-Swedish border, and Kulmuni attended comprehensive school inHaparanda, Sweden, at the joint language school of Tornio and Haparanda.[3] Kulmuni studied also atThe European University at Saint Petersburg.[4] Kulmuni graduated from theUniversity of Lapland in 2018 with aMaster of Social Science degree.[5] Kulmuni speaks five languages: Finnish, Swedish, English, French and Russian. Her fluency in languages attracted attention during her time as a minister.[6]
Katri Kulmuni is married to lawyer Jyrki Peisa, who works as Director at the Finnish Forest Industries. They have three children.[7][8][9]
Kulmuni joined the Centre Party at the age of 18. She began her political career in local politics in Tornio in the 2008 municipal elections, although she was not yet elected to the city council. She served as a member of the Tornio Youth and Culture Committee from 2009 to 2012. In the 2012 municipal elections, she received the most votes in Tornio, as well as in the 2017 and 2021 municipal elections. Kulmuni chaired the Tornio city council from 2013 to 2019. From December 2010 to June 2011, Kulmuni worked as Press Assistant to Minister for Foreign Trade and DevelopmentPaavo Väyrynen.[10]
Kulmuni was elected to theParliament of Finland in2015 for theLapland constituency and reelected in 2019 and 2023.[11] After the 2019 elections, she was named theMinister of Economic Affairs inAntti Rinne's cabinet.
Kulmuni was elected deputy chairperson of the Centre Party in 2016.[12] On 7 September 2019, Kulmuni defeatedAntti Kaikkonen in the leadership election of the Centre Party.[13] Five days later, she succeededMika Lintilä as theDeputy Prime Minister of Finland.[14] After the collapse of the Rinne Cabinet, Kulmuni becameMinister of Finance in theMarin Cabinet.[15]
On 5 June 2020, Kulmuni resigned as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister after it was revealed that she had been given media training at the cost of 56,203euros, which was billed to her two ministries. Two days before the resignation announcement, she told media that she would repay the cost.[16][17] On 8 June, former Prime MinisterMatti Vanhanen was elected to succeed Kulmuni as Minister of Finance.[1] Subsequently, Kulmuni justified her resignation by saying that she had to bear overall responsibility for what happened when she learned that the training service was unreasonably expensive."I didn't want the party to suffer because of this either, and I left my ministerial position. As far as I am concerned, the matter was fortunately closed a long time ago. I also paid the training bills from my own funds, even though there was no legal obligation to do so," Kulmuni wrote in summer 2024.[18]
On 5 September 2020,Annika Saarikko replaced Kulmuni as the Leader of the Centre Party.[2]
In the 2022 county elections, Kulmuni was elected to the regional council of the wellbeing services county of Lapland. She received highest number of personal votes cast in the constituency of Lapland.[19]
Kulmuni announced on 14th February 2024 that she will stand as a candidate in the 2024 European Parliament elections. Kulmuni said that in the European Parliament she would like to focus especially on natural resource issues, opposing excessive EU regulation of Finland's natural resources. She also opposed increasing joint and several debt mechanisms. Besides, Kulmuni justified her candidacy by her willingness to restore the lost support of the Centre Party.[20] Kulmuni received 67,028 votes and was elected to the European Parliament. Of all candidates, she received the most votes in the constituencies of Oulu and Lapland.[21] A week before election day, Kulmuni gave birth to her second child.[22]
In the European Parliament Kulmuni was elected to the European Parliament Committee on theEnvironment, Public Health and Food Safety. Kulmuni said that she was satisfied with her seat on the committee, because the committee deals with issues related to Finnish forests and forestry, among other things.[23]
Shortly after her 2019 appointment as finance minister, Kulmuni caused controversy when she posted an informalInstagram poll on whether the government should allow Finnish women with links toIslamic State to return from Syria, or just their children. She deleted the post and apologized after criticism byHuman Rights Watch.[32]
It was claimed in the Finnish press that Prime Minister Sanna Marin did not get along well with Katri Kulmuni and called her a nuisance.[33] Kulmuni later said that cooperation in Marin Cabinet did not go well and that she had supported a stricter economic policy.[34]
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| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 2019–2020 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Leader of theCentre Party 2019–2020 | Succeeded by |
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