The Central Finland welfare region faces major leadership changes. Regional board chair Maria Kaisa Aula has requested to leave her position. Her request comes for personal reasons, according to party officials.
This marks the second high-level departure in recent weeks. Welfare region director Jan Tollet also announced his resignation last week. Tollet reportedly lost the confidence of the regional board.
Jouko Nykänen, chair of the Centre Party's regional council group, expects Aula will remain active in their political group. He stated she maintains their full confidence and has done good work for the welfare region.
The board will decide on Aula's resignation request and its timing. A Sunday meeting originally planned to discuss confidence issues instead focused on service network matters.
The leadership turmoil unfolds against a severe financial backdrop. Central Finland's welfare region faces mounting deficits. This year's shortfall alone approaches 81 million euros.
Total accumulated deficit now reaches approximately 336 million euros. Former director Tollet estimated eliminating the deficit by 2026 appears impossible.
Tollet illustrated the scale with a theoretical scenario. Addressing the deficit through staff cuts would require dismissing over 6,000 employees. He called this massive reduction unrealistic but revealing of the financial challenge.
The consecutive resignations of both the administrative director and political chair suggest deeper systemic issues within Finland's welfare region model. Leadership changes during financial crises typically complicate already difficult recovery efforts.