Esko Aho
| Esko Aho | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| 37th Prime Minister of Finland | |
|
In office April 26, 1991 – April 13, 1995 |
|
| President |
Mauno Koivisto Martti Ahtisaari |
| Deputy |
Ilkka Kanerva (1991) Pertti Salolainen (1991–1995) |
| Preceded by | Harri Holkeri |
| Succeeded by | Paavo Lipponen |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 20, 1954 Veteli, Finland |
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Political party | Centre Party of Finland |
| Spouse(s) | Kirsti Aho |
| Profession | Master of Political Sciences |
Esko Tapani Aho (born May 20, 1954) is a Finnish politician who was Prime Minister of Finland from 1991 to 1995.
Aho was born in Veteli, Finland. Prior to attending university, he began a career in politics. From 1974 to 1979, he was Chairman of the Finnish Centre Youth, which had before him grown many of his predecessors to high political situations. In 1978, he became a Presidential elector, a position he also held in 1982 and 1998. From 1979 to 1980, Aho was Political Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1980 to 1983, he was a trade promoter for the Kannus municipality.
Aho studied at the Helsingin yliopisto (University of Helsinki), receiving a Master of Social Science degree in 1981.
Since 2010 he has been a Skolkovo Foundation Council member.
Aho was first elected to the eduskunta (Finnish Parliament) in 1983. He became Chairman of the Centre Party in 1990, a position that he held until 2002. The party is one of three major political parties in Finland.
At 36 years of age, he was the youngest Prime Minister in Finnish history.
Aho was the prime minister of the centre-right coalition government (Centre Party, National Coalition Party, Christian Democrats and Swedish People's Party) from 1991 to 1995. He is best known for leading Finland into the European Union. Aho's own party, gaining most of its support from rural areas, was the most opposed to EU membership among major parties. Their greatest concern was the agricultural situation, but they were persuaded to support membership due to the prime minister's diplomacy. Finland applied for EU membership on 16 March 1992 and a referendum was held two and a half years later. Aho's government faced also the deep economic depression of the early 1990s. Despite a steep rise in the national debt, the Aho government applied a stringent cut-and-save policy that made it unpopular. This partly caused its fall in the 1995 election and Centre Party's eight-year period in opposition.
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