Riikka Purra

Riikka Purra (born 13 June 1977 in Pirkkala) is a Finnish politician currently serving in the Parliament of Finland for the Finns Party for the Uusimaa constituency.[1] In August 2021, she was elected the new leader of the party after Jussi Halla-aho.[2]

Riikka Purra
Leader of the Finns Party
Assumed office
14 August 2021
Preceded byJussi Halla-aho
Member of Parliament
for Uusimaa
Assumed office
17 April 2019
Personal details
Born
Riikka Purra

(1977-06-13) 13 June 1977
Pirkkala, Pirkanmaa, Finland
Political partyFinns Party
Spouse(s)Mikko Välimaa
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Turku

Political career

In 2016, Purra joined the Finns Party as a political planner. She served as a campaign manager for the presidential candidate Laura Huhtasaari in the 2018 Finnish presidential election.[3]

She was elected as a Member of Parliament from the constituency of Uusimaa in the June 2019 election with 5,960 votes and became the first deputy leader of the Finns party.[4]

In March 2021, she criticised the government of overspending when it formed a three billion euro support package for municipalities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland.[5]

In July 2021, Purra announced she would be running for the Finns Party leadership, aiming to become the first woman to lead the party. She declared that the party would never participate in a government where it would not be able to significantly change Finnish immigration policy.[6] She was elected leader of the party on August 14, 2021, at the party meeting in Seinäjoki.[2]

Personal life

Purra is married and has two children. She tells her views on immigration were affected after she was sexually harassed in her early teens living in Tampere by persons with a refugee background.[7] She became interested in immigration policy when she read Jussi Halla-aho's blog Scripta and participated in discussions on internet forums.[8]

Purra has a master's degree in political science and she is completing her PhD studies on international politics at the University of Turku. She worked as a teacher and researcher before entering politics.[9][10]

References
  1. Profile as a Member of the Parliament of Finland
  2. "Suora lähetys: Riikka Purra on perussuomalaisten uusi puheenjohtaja". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). 13 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  3. "Yle seurasi perussuomalaisten puoluekokousta Tampereella – Halla-aho jatkaa puheenjohtajana". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  4. "Ylen Vaalikone 2019 - Yles Valkompass 2019". vaalikone.yle.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  5. "Finns Party vice-chair: Government overspent on outsized Covid support for municipalities".
  6. "MP Purra joins Finns Party leadership race".
  7. Kuka on perussuomalaisten puheenjohtajaehdokas Riikka Purra? Aloitti työnsä puolueessa keskellä kaaosta, teini-iän kokemukset vaikuttivat ajatuksiin maahanmuutosta
  8. IL-erikoishaastattelu: Äidin kuolema mullisti Riikka Purran elämän 12-vuotiaana – ”se muutti kaiken”
  9. Perussuomalaiset eivät avaisi rahahanoja korkeakouluille, mutta peruskoulussa olisi korjaamisen varaa – ”Ongelmia ei korjata vain rahalla”
  10. Tällainen on perussuomalaisten puheenjohtajakisaan lähtevä Riikka Purra
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