Paivi Rasanen
Politician
In 2011, this Chairperson of the Christian Democrats political party took office as Finland's Minister of the Interior. She was first elected to the Finnish Parliament in 1995.
Before entering politics, she worked as a physician.
A staunch social conservative, she stirred controversy by publicly expressing her negative views of both Muslims and LGBT people.
She was born in the eastern Finnish province of Sonkajarvi. She later settled in Riihimaki with her husband and five children.
She served as Minister of the Interior under the prime ministerial administrations of Alexander Stubb and Jyrki Katainen and under the presidency of Sauli Niinisto.