Editing Tarja Halonen (section)

==Political career: 1970–2000==
[[File:Tarja-Halonen-1975.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Tarja Halonen in 1975, working Finnish Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister.]]

=== Trade unionist ===
In 1971, Halonen joined the [[Social Democratic Party of Finland|Social Democratic Party]] which had close ties with the trade unions in which she worked as a lawyer from 1970 to 1974.

In early 1970, she was elected to represent Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions in a committee that called for the recognition of [[East Germany]].<ref name="ddr"/> Later she became the Vice-President of the committee, which lobbied then-President [[Urho Kekkonen]].<ref name="ddr">{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070915061028/http://www.aamulehti.fi/teema/ddr/43981.shtml |date=15 September 2007 |title=Halonen toimi DDR:n hyväksi luultua aktiivisemmin }} from [http://www.aamulehti.fi/teema/ddr/43981.shtml the original] [[Aamulehti]]</ref><ref name="HS92">{{cite web|url=https://www.hs.fi/kirjautuminen/kirjaudu?TYPE=33554433&REALMOID=06-4c9c307e-d271-481c-8dde-6011f8129ca8&GUID=&SMAUTHREASON=0&METHOD=GET&SMAGENTNAME=hs-www-01&TARGET=-SM-http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hs.fi%2Farkisto%2Fartikkeli%2F920712023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130213105441/https://www.hs.fi/kirjautuminen/kirjaudu?TYPE=33554433&REALMOID=06-4c9c307e-d271-481c-8dde-6011f8129ca8&GUID=&SMAUTHREASON=0&METHOD=GET&SMAGENTNAME=hs-www-01&TARGET=-SM-http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hs.fi%2Farkisto%2Fartikkeli%2F920712023|url-status=dead|title=HS – Sisäänkirjautuminen|date=13 February 2013|archive-date=13 February 2013|access-date=28 May 2018}}</ref> During the presidential elections of 2006 she was criticized by rivals for this. She responded that the committee was formed by members from many different political parties including conservative parties. In 1973, Finland recognized both East Germany and [[West Germany]] as sovereign states.<ref>[http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Professor+says+allegations+of+President+Halonen%E2%80%99s+GDR+activism+are+untrue/1135230268074 Professor says allegations of President Halonen’s GDR activism are untrue] [[Helsingin Sanomat]], 13 September 2007  {{Cite web |url=http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Professor%2Bsays%2Ballegations%2Bof%2BPresident%2BHalonen%E2%80%99s%2BGDR%2Bactivism%2Bare%2Buntrue/1135230268074 |title=Helsingin Sanomat - International Edition - Home |access-date=26 July 2017 |archive-date=22 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022010642/http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Professor%2Bsays%2Ballegations%2Bof%2BPresident%2BHalonen%E2%80%99s%2BGDR%2Bactivism%2Bare%2Buntrue/1135230268074 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

===First elections===
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=November 2024}}
In 1974, Prime Minister [[Kalevi Sorsa]] appointed Halonen as his [[parliamentary secretary]]. She became acquainted with the world of Finnish politics and government and her political career took a great step forward, as she went on to hold a number of public offices. Sorsa later said that he wanted his parliamentary secretary to have good ties with the trade unions of Finland and have skills in [[jurisprudence]].

Working in [[Parliament of Finland|Parliament]] made Halonen even more interested in politics and she decided to take part in the municipal elections of 1976. She was elected to the City Council of Helsinki, a position she held continuously for five terms from 1977 to 1996. Additionally in 1979, she was elected into Parliament as a representative of the [[Helsinki (constituency)|Helsinki constituency]]. She served five full terms and less than a year of her sixth term in Parliament until her inauguration as president in 2000. In Parliament, her first formal post was as the chairman of the Social Committee, which she held from 1984 to 1987.

===Ministerial career===
In 1987, Halonen was appointed Minister of Social Affairs and Health by Prime Minister [[Harri Holkeri]]. Halonen held the position until 1990. In addition to this, she served as [[Minister for Nordic Cooperation (Finland)|Minister for Nordic Cooperation]] from 1989 to 1991, the same year in which she was also appointed the chairman of the International Solidarity Foundation, a post she relinquished in 2000.

From 1990 to 1991, she served as Minister of Justice, and from 1995 until her election to the presidency, she served as the [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Finland)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] in the [[Lipponen I Cabinet]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://formin.finland.fi/public/?contentid=41366&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI |title=Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland – Ministers of Foreign Affairs |publisher=Valtioneuvosto.fi |access-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214163934/http://formin.finland.fi/public/?contentid=41366&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI |archive-date=14 February 2012 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>