These are the pets of the presidential candidates – Hjallis Harkimo changed his dog’s name

The pets of the Finnish presidents have conquered the hearts of Finns one after the other.

The late President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö Flight– dog used to smile so captivatingly in pictures that it became a celebrity even abroad.

Urho Kekkonen and Mauno Koivisto were also dog people. Kekko had a greyhound Ludmila and small münster stands Isabella. Koivisto’s family had several pugs.

President Tarja Halonen once moved her cats to Mäntyniemi Nothing and Rontin with. The cats’ task was to catch mice in the summer in Kultaranta. At the end of Halonen’s presidential term, he received the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in the guise of Neva Maggie’s.

Mannerheim was a horseman. Mannerheim’s beloved Käthy-horse once participated in the president’s funeral.

Martti Ahtisaarella and Eve-wife had no pets due to her busy lifestyle.

Pets of presidential candidates

Three of the presidential candidates are pet owners.

Hjallis Harkimo

Hjallis at Harkimo is his partner Jasmine Pajarin with a nine-month-old Labrador retriever Son. The dog’s name is chosen by Jasmine.

– I alienated it first, Harkimo admits.

Harkimo says that he is a dog person and has had a Labrador retriever before. The boy is an active dog who likes to swim in the sea, likes other dogs and especially plays with Harkimo’s sister’s dogs who live next door.

– The boy doesn’t want to come inside, no matter how cold it is, Harkimo says.

Until now, Jasmine Pajari has been in main responsibility for the dog’s training.

– I haven’t been involved now, but I need to be involved more so that the dog obeys me better, says Harkimo.

Alexander Stubb

The campaign team of the coalition’s presidential candidate Alexander Stubb says that Stubb’s family has two cats: Milo and Nala. The cats were acquired in 2016 through the Animal Protection Society.

– Alex has said that he used to be more of a dog person, but remained in the minority at home and is now a cat fan, the campaign team commented.

Milo is an adventurer by nature and Nala is more of a house cat. What Stubb and the cats do together is mainly lying on the sofa.

Stubb has presented his cats with his Tiktok videos, among other things. The video below features Nala the cat.

Mika Aaltola

Mika Aaltola of Valitsijahõtis has three terrier dogs: Santra, Sylvi and Ronja.

Aaltola’s spouse Kirsi Aaltola told Iltalehte more about the couple’s dogs.

– Santra is an alpha female, strong-willed, but fundamentally sensitive. It’s nice to be near Mika both at home and on a trip. Sylvi is easy-going and Ronja, as the youngest, is active and playful, says Kirsi.

No pets

Six presidential candidates have no pets.

The Christian Democrats’ Sari Essayah had for a long time Manu a cat named Essayah’s ragdoll died recently at the age of 16.

Olli Rehn

Voters’ association At Olli Rehn’s and his spouse With Merja Rehn used to be a dog.

– Sessi, or Aamuyön Erzylie, was our pleasure for more than 15 years, Rehn tells Iltalehte.

Sessi died in 2021.

– Sessi was smart and loving, but a determined lady, sometimes even stubborn. Pole walks in Brussels were our joint hobby — “stab foot therapy”, as my wife Merja describes in her book, Olli Rehn says.

In the photo (attached) Sessi, Merja and I in Kaisaniemi Park 2017.

The Rehns plan to adopt a dachshund in March.

– No election grave. We only get the dog when the campaign is over and we are able to train it properly.

Iltalehti was told by Li Andersson’s campaign team of the Left League that Anderson does not have a pet. Jussi Halla-Aho of Basic Finns also told Iltalehte that he doesn’t have a pet, and he doesn’t plan to get one.

The Social Democrats’ Jutta Urpilainen doesn’t have a pet either, but the campaign team says that the family is currently being vaccinated against dog fever.

The Enlightenment Association Pekka Haavisto there are no pets. His favorite pet would be a Siberian husky.