Finland’s ‘First Couple’, President Sauli Niinistö and his wife Jenni Haukio have announced they are expecting a baby.
The new arrival is due in February 2018.
“We are happy to announce, if everything goes as expected our family will grow in February 2018” the couple said in a statement.
The statement said that the President and Mrs Niinistö had been trying for a child for some time, and there had been difficulties along the way.
“That’s why, along with happiness, there were sensitivities at the beginning of the pregnancy” they said.
The new baby will be the first for Haukio, 40. President Niinistö, 69, has two adult children from his first marriage. The couple have been married since January 2009.
The announcement means that President Niinistö will be the first sitting President in Finnish history to become a new father. All previous presidents already had adult children by the time they came to office.
The President’s Office says that this is a private family affair and it will not affect the way in which President handles his work. Niinistö is running in the first round of the Presidential elections on 28th January 2018. A second round of voting, if required, would take place on 11th February.
Independence Day
The President’s Spokesperson Katri Makkonen hasn’t said whether he plans to take paternity leave, or when Jenni Haukio plans to take maternity leave.
According to KELA, maternity leave can start about 5-8 weeks before the baby’s due date.
But Makkonen can confirm that the First Lady will participate in Independence Day reception at the Presidential Palace on 6th December.
The interest in the baby announcement was enough to crash the President’s official website shortly after the news broke.
