Editing Politics of Finland (section)

==Executive branch==
Finland has a [[parliamentary system]], even if the [[President of Finland]] is formally responsible for [[Foreign policy of Finland|foreign policy]]. Most executive power lies in the [[cabinet (government)|cabinet]] (the [[Finnish Government]]) headed by the [[Prime Minister of Finland|prime minister]]. Responsibility for forming the cabinet out of several political parties and negotiating its platform is granted to the leader of the party gaining largest support in the elections for the parliament. This person also becomes prime minister of the cabinet. Any minister and the cabinet as a whole, however, must have continuing trust of the [[Parliament of Finland|parliament]] and may be voted out, resign or be replaced. The Government is made up of the prime minister and the ministers for the various departments of the central government as well as an ''ex officio'' member, the [[Chancellor of Justice (Finland)|Chancellor of Justice]].

In the official usage, the "cabinet" (''valtioneuvosto'') are the ministers including the prime minister and the Chancellor of Justice, while the "government" (''hallitus'') is the cabinet presided by the president. In the popular usage, ''hallitus'' (with the president) may also refer to ''valtioneuvosto'' (without the president).

===President===
{{main|President of Finland}}

Though Finland has a primarily parliamentary system, the President has some notable powers. The foreign policy is led by the President in co-operation with the government, and the same applies to matters concerning [[national security]]. The main executive power lies in the cabinet, which is headed by the Prime Minister. Before the 2000 constitutional rewrite, the President enjoyed more governing power.

Elected for a six-year term, the president:
*Handles [[Foreign relations of Finland|Finland's foreign affairs]] in cooperation with the Cabinet, except for certain international agreements and decisions of [[peace]] or [[war]], which must be submitted to the parliament
*Is [[Commander-in-chief]] of the armed forces
*Has some decree and appointive powers
*Approves laws, and may call extraordinary parliamentary sessions
*Formally appoints the [[Prime Minister of Finland]] selected by the Parliament, and formally appoints the rest of the [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]] (Government) as proposed by the Prime Minister

===Government===
{{main|Finnish Government}}

The Government is made up of the Prime Minister and other ministers for the various ministries of the central government as well as an ''ex officio'' member, the Chancellor of Justice. Ministers are not obliged to be members of [[Parliament of Finland|Parliament]] and need not be formally identified with any political party.

The Government produces most of the material that the Parliament deals with, such as proposals for new laws or legislative reforms, and the annual budget. The ministers each direct their ministries with relative independence.<ref name="PIF">{{cite web|url=http://finland.fi/life-society/parliamentarism-in-finland/|title=Parliamentarism in Finland|last1=Laine|first1=Jarmo|date=2015|website=This Is Finland|access-date=3 September 2016}}</ref> The current cabinet has 19 ministers in 12 ministries. The number of ministers can be decided by the Government.

The Prime Minister's Office and eleven other ministries make up the Government of Finland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.suomi.fi/suomifi/english/state_and_municipalities/ministries/index.html|title=Ministries|website=Suomi.fi|access-date=20 January 2017}}</ref>

The head of government is the [[Prime Minister of Finland|Prime Minister]], currently [[Petteri Orpo]]. The Prime Minister designate is subject to election by the Parliament and subsequent appointment by the [[President of Finland]]. All the ministers shall be Finnish citizens, known to be honest and competent.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/1999/en19990731.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041130111527/http://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/1999/en19990731.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 November 2004|title=Formation of the Government, Sections 60 and 61|website=Finlex|access-date=13 June 2016}}</ref>

==== Ministries ====
{{Main|List of Finnish ministries}}
The ministries function as administrative and political experts and prepare Government decisions within their mandates. They also represent their relevant administrative sectors in domestic and international cooperation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.suomi.fi/suomifi/english/state_and_municipalities/ministries/index.html|title=Ministries|publisher=Finnish State Treasury|access-date=29 April 2016}}</ref>

New laws are drafted in ministries. There is a tradition of substantial ministerial independence in law drafting. The drafts are then reviewed by government and parliament before enactment. The final legislative power is vested in Parliament, in conjunction with the President of the Republic, according to the Finnish Constitution.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lainvalmistelu.finlex.fi/en/|title=Law Drafting|website=Finlex|access-date=13 June 2016}}</ref>

There are 12 ministries in Finland.<ref name="ministries-gov.fi">{{Cite web|url=http://valtioneuvosto.fi/ministeriot/en.jsp|title=Ministries|publisher=Finnish Government|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610175707/http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/ministeriot/en.jsp|archive-date=10 June 2011|url-status=dead|access-date=22 June 2011}}</ref> As the government tends to have more ministers than ministries, some ministries, such as the Ministry of Finance, are associated with multiple ministers.
* [[Prime Minister's Office (Finland)|Prime Minister's Office]]
* [[Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Finland)|Ministry for Foreign Affairs]]
* [[Ministry of Justice (Finland)|Ministry of Justice]]
* [[Ministry of the Interior (Finland)|Ministry of the Interior]]
* [[Ministry of Defence (Finland)|Ministry of Defence]]
* [[Ministry of Finance (Finland)|Ministry of Finance]]
* [[Ministry of Education and Culture (Finland)|Ministry of Education and Culture]]
* [[Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Finland)|Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry]]
* [[Ministry of Transport and Communications (Finland)|Ministry of Transport and Communications]]
* [[Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment]]
* [[Ministry of Social Affairs and Health]]
* [[Ministry of the Environment (Finland)|Ministry of the Environment]]