Counselor of State (Finland)

Counselor of State (Swedish: statsråd, Finnish: Valtioneuvos) is a Finnish title of honor awarded by the President of Finland to elder statesmen. It is one of two titles (the other being vuorineuvos) in the highest class of State of Finland honors. The tax of the titles are 48 400 euros or 12 100 euros.

Some Former Social Democratic Prime Ministers Rafael Paasio, Kalevi Sorsa and Paavo Lipponen all declined the honor when it was offered to them. Lipponen commented that no one outside Finland knows what Counselor of State is, and that he is satisfied with "former Prime Minister".

Title holders

Portrait	Title holder (born-died)	Awarded (year)	Awarder (by President of Finland)	Political career statues	Party
100px	Juho Kusti Paasikivi (1870-1956)	1930	Lauri Kristian Relander	President, Prime minister and member of parliament	Finnish Party and National Coalition Party
	E. N. Setälä (1864-1935)	1934	P. E. Svinhufvud	cabinet minister and member of parliament	Young Finnish Party and National Coalition Party
	Eero Yrjö Pehkonen (1882-1949)	1948	Juho Kusti Paasikivi	Provincial Governor, member of parliament and cabinet minister	Agrarian League
	Karl-August Fagerholm (1901-1984)	1969	Urho Kekkonen	Speaker of Parliament and Prime minister	Social Democratic Party
	Martti Miettunen (1907-2002)	1977	Urho Kekkonen	Speaker of Parliament, Member of parliament and Prime minister	Center Party
	Johannes Virolainen (1914-2000)	1989	Mauno Koivisto	Speaker of Parliamet, Member of parliament and Prime Minister	Center Party
	Harri Holkeri (1937-2011)	1998	Martti Ahtisaari	Prime minister and member of parliament	National Coalition Party
	Riitta Uosukainen (born 1942)	2004	Tarja Halonen	Speaker of Parliamet, Member of parliament and Minister	National Coalition Party