Vanhanen and his four-party, centre-right coalition government are expected to continue work until Tuesday, when parliament elects a new prime minister.
Halonen will then relieve the old government of its duties and appoint a new one, almost certainly led by Mari Kiviniemi, Finland’s 41-year-old public administration and local government minister, who was voted the new head of Vanhanen’s Centre Party at its congress last weekend. The government parties are due to meet on Friday and Saturday to prepare a new programme.