Editing Tarja Halonen (section)

==Presidency==
===First term: 2000–2006===
[[File:Vladimir Putin in Finland 2-3 September 2001-8.jpg|thumb|right|[[Russian President]] [[Vladimir Putin]] and Tarja Halonen in Helsinki, 2–3 September 2001.]]
[[File:President Tarja Halonen and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz in 2002.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Tarja Halonen and [[Paul Wolfowitz]] in 2002]]
[[File:Tarja Halonen 2003.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Halonen visit to [[Brazil]], in October 2003]]
After her narrow election victory in the first election, Halonen's approval ratings rose and reached a peak of 88% in December 2003.

In a 2001 interview Halonen said that she was worried about the Russian response if NATO approved membership bids by [[Baltic countries]].<ref>[http://www.mtv3.fi/uutiset/arkisto.shtml/arkistot/kotimaa/2001/04/54353 Halonen: Baltian maiden liittyminen Natoon epäilyttää]. MTV3. 8 April 2001</ref> Latvian President [[Vaira Vike-Freiberga]] asked what she meant and whether Halonen is actively opposing NATO membership of Baltic countries.<ref>[http://www.mtv3.fi/uutiset/arkisto.shtml/arkistot/kotimaa/2001/05/58431 Halosen Nato-lausunnoista kohu]. MTV3. 7 May 2001</ref>

In the ''Iraqgate'' scandal, Halonen's advisor Martti Manninen leaked confidential documents to the Centre Party leader [[Anneli Jäätteenmäki]], who had become prime minister. The revelations led to the resignation of Jäätteenmäki.<ref>[http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Book+on+Iraq+leak+scandal+Manninen+leaked+secret+documents+out+of+job+frustration/1076152898381 Book on Iraq leak scandal: Manninen leaked secret documents out of job frustration]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020184240/http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Book%2Bon%2BIraq%2Bleak%2Bscandal%2BManninen%2Bleaked%2Bsecret%2Bdocuments%2Bout%2Bof%2Bjob%2Bfrustration/1076152898381 |date=20 October 2012 }}</ref>

Halonen has opposed the use of [[landmines]] in Finnish military doctrine.<ref>[http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Halonen+criticised+as+global+do-gooder+PM+Vanhanen+comes+to+President%E2%80%99s+defence/1076152567277 Halonen criticised as global do-gooder; PM Vanhanen comes to President’s defence]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020061213/http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Halonen%2Bcriticised%2Bas%2Bglobal%2Bdo-gooder%2BPM%2BVanhanen%2Bcomes%2Bto%2BPresident%E2%80%99s%2Bdefence/1076152567277 |date=20 October 2012 }}</ref>

Halonen has defended [[cluster bomb]]s and did not sign a treaty which would have banned Finland from using these kinds of weapons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uusisuomi.fi/kotimaa/39742-halonen-kiistellysta-sopimuksesta-suomella-ei-ollut-mahdollisuuksia|title=Halonen puolustaa rypälepommeja: "Suomella ei ole mahdollisuuksia"|date=31 October 2008 |access-date=28 May 2018}}</ref>

===Second term: 2006–2012===
[[File:Dmitry Medvedev in Finland 21 July 2010-1.jpeg|thumb|Tarja Halonen (right) meeting with the third President of Russia [[Dmitry Medvedev]] and the then Prime Minister of Finland [[Mari Kiviniemi]] (left) in 2010.]]
[[File:Tarja Halonen with Obamas.jpg|thumb|200px|left|President Halonen and Pentti Arajärvi with [[President of the United States|US President]] [[Barack Obama]] and [[Michelle Obama]] on 2009 in New York.]]
[[File:Joe Biden and Tarja Halonen in Helsinki in 2011.jpg|thumb|200px|left|[[Vice President of the United States|US Vice President]] [[Joe Biden]] and President Halonen on March 8, 2011 in Helsinki.]]
[[File:Ministru prezidents un Somijas prezidente (4681632596).jpg|thumb|200px|Tarja Halonen with Prime Minister of Latvia [[Valdis Dombrovskis]]]]
In 2008, Halonen nominated SDP-affiliated Ritva Viljanen for a second term in the Ministry of the Interior. The government had nominated Ilkka Laitinen. Over the course of the previous 50 years, the President had only once chosen to not obey the government's consensus, leading to Halonen thusly being accused of cronyism.<ref>[http://www.hs.fi/politiikka/artikkeli/Halonen+nimitti+Viljasen+sis%C3%A4ministeri%C3%B6n+kansliap%C3%A4%C3%A4llik%C3%B6ksi/1135238647679 Halonen nimitti Viljasen sisäministeriön kansliapäälliköksi]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020060751/http://www.hs.fi/politiikka/artikkeli/Halonen%2Bnimitti%2BViljasen%2Bsis%C3%A4ministeri%C3%B6n%2Bkansliap%C3%A4%C3%A4llik%C3%B6ksi/1135238647679 |date=20 October 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iltasanomat.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/uutinen.asp?id=1570955|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080816034114/http://www.iltasanomat.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/uutinen.asp?id=1570955|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 August 2008|title=Uutiset – Ilta-Sanomat|website=Ilta-Sanomat|access-date=28 May 2018}}</ref>

In September 2008, Halonen was perceived as insulting [[Estonia]] by saying that the Estonians suffer from a "post-Soviet stress condition". [[President of Estonia]] [[Toomas Hendrik Ilves]] commented on the issue, saying that "Estonia has never condemned, and will not condemn the foreign affairs decisions of another EU country. It will also not assess the psychiatric state of other EU countries".<ref>[http://www.kauppalehti.fi/5/i/talous/uutiset/etusivu/uutinen.jsp?oid=2008/09/14334&ext=rss Halonen suututti virolaiset]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218100646/http://www.kauppalehti.fi/5/i/talous/uutiset/etusivu/uutinen.jsp?oid=2008%2F09%2F14334&ext=rss |date=18 February 2012 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.ksml.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/yle-halosen-lausunto-kuohuttaa-virossa/219378 Yle: Halosen lausunto kuohuttaa Virossa] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716234103/http://www.ksml.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/yle-halosen-lausunto-kuohuttaa-virossa/219378 |date=16 July 2011 }}</ref> In 2009, Halonen rejected calls to apologize for Finland's attitude towards Estonian independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.<ref>[http://suomenkuvalehti.fi/jutut/kotimaa/tarja-halonen-en-lampene-kollektiivisille-anteeksipyynnoille Tarja Halonen: "En lämpene kollektiivisille anteeksipyynnöille"]. Suomen Kuvalehti</ref>

At the end of her second term Halonen's presidency and economic views received harsh criticism from [[Björn Wahlroos]], the chairman of the two largest banks in Finland.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Bj%C3%B6rn+Wahlroos+%E2%80%93+a+portrait+of+a+capitalist/1329103438342 |title=Björn Wahlroos – a portrait of a capitalist |last=Ahtiainen |first=Ilkka |author2=Blåfield, Antti |date=12 February 2012 |work=HS.fi International Edition |publisher=Sanoma |access-date=19 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219070554/http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Bj%C3%B6rn%2BWahlroos%2B%E2%80%93%2Ba%2Bportrait%2Bof%2Ba%2Bcapitalist/1329103438342 |archive-date=19 February 2012  }}</ref>