Finnish Defense Minister goes on maternity leave for the second time
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen took two months of paternity leave to care for his six-month-old son, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
Professional politician Kaikkonen is taking maternity leave for the second time. In 2020, he became the first male minister in Finland to take advantage of this opportunity. Then the Finnish authorities decided that fathers, like mothers, have the right to parental leave for up to seven months.
“Children are small for only a very short period of time, and I don’t want to remember them only from photographs,” Kaikonen wrote on Twitter, announcing his temporary resignation from his position.
According to Finnish law, Kaikkonen must resign as defense minister and will be reappointed in March. From January 4, the new head of the defense department of this Scandinavian country will be former farmer Mikko Savola.
Commentators note that the temporary change of defense minister comes at a time when Finland, along with Sweden, is trying to become a NATO member and enlist Turkey's support for admission to the Alliance. But Anti Kaikonen believes that during his absence, Finland's security "will be in good hands."
As PolitNavigator reported , NATO countries will attempt to open a Scandinavian front against Russia.
Finnish Defense Minister Takes Second Maternity Leave