Hjallis Harkimo
Party leader & businessman / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Harry Juhani "Hjallis" Harkimo (born 2 November 1953) is a Finnish businessman, sportsperson, and a member of the Finnish Parliament. Previously a National Coalition Party MP, he now chairs his own political party, Movement Now.
Harry Harkimo | |
---|---|
Member of the Finnish Parliament | |
Assumed office 22 April 2015 | |
Constituency | Uusimaa |
Chairman of Movement Now | |
Assumed office 21 April 2018 | |
Deputy | Karoliina Kähönen |
Preceded by | Office established |
Personal details | |
Born | (1953-11-02) 2 November 1953 (age 70) Helsinki, Finland |
Political party | Movement Now (2018–present) |
Other political affiliations | National Coalition Party (2015–2018) |
Alma mater | Hanken School of Economics |
Occupation | Entrepreneur |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Finland |
Branch/service | Finnish Army |
Rank | Second Lieutenant[1] |
First elected to the Parliament in 2015 representing NCP, his tenure in the party was cut short following his complaints about leadership in 2018.[2] He then proceeded to establish and register his new political movement simply as an association due to strong disdain toward traditional party politics.[3] Following his successful re-election campaign in 2019, Harkimo decided to register Movement Now as a party afterall, explaining that "the whole system was built so that thriving in it won't be possible without having a party."[4]
In the Parliament, Harkimo sits in opposition, although he voted in favor of swearing in the Rinne Cabinet. He later explained this by saying he wanted to give the government platform a chance, since he considered many of its goals positive.[5] Since then, Harkimo and Movement Now have been more critical of the government, even by joining in on some joint opposition interpellations.