Plans to hold President Koivisto’s state funeral on Ascension Day

There are plans to hold President Koivisto’s state funeral on Ascension Day, in other words on 25 May, in Helsinki. The arrangements for the state funeral will be decided at the Government plenary session to be held at 10.30 on Wednesday 17 May.

In its plenary session on Wednesday, the Government will set up a committee headed by Foreign Minister Timo Soini to plan and organise the funeral. The Prime Minister's Office is responsible for arranging the state funeral. The preparations will respect the wishes of the family and will be made in close cooperation with the Office of the President of the Republic, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and numerous other parties.

More information on the arrangements for the funeral and progress in the preparations will be available on Wednesday after the committee’s meeting following the plenary session.

Inquiries: Paula Lehtomäki, State Secretary, tel. +358 295 160 280 (inquiries after office hours through Päivi Paasikoski), Permanent State Under-Secretary, tel. 0295 160 300 or 040 507 4448 (general matters concerning the state funeral), and Päivi Paasikoski, Head of Communications, tel. +358 40 547 6279, Prime Minister's Office.

State funeral: vnk.fi/valtiolliset-hautajaiset