Finnish president's son scores coveted internship
The awarding of a coveted internship has set minds ablaze in Finland in recent days, after it emerged that the position had gone to Oliver Stubb, the son of Finland's president, Alexander Stubb.
This is reported by the news agency TT.
A total of 200 people applied for the internship as a research assistant at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA).
59 applicants met the criteria, while a total of five people were invited for an interview, Finnish media reports.
The 21-year-old president's son is in his first year of a bachelor's degree at a university in the UK.
The four other candidates who were called for an interview are all studying at master's level and have relevant work experience in contrast to Oliver Stubb, Finnish media reports.
According to the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti, the application requirements were also changed two days after Oliver Stubb had contacted the institute to inquire about the internship.
The change in the requirements meant that it was possible for students at universities in the UK to apply for the position.
The director of FIIA, Hiski Haukkala, has defended the choice of the president's son, saying that Stubb was particularly motivated.
He has also insisted that good administrative practice was followed. However, the director has not yet provided documentation for the process.
The Ombudsman of the Finnish Parliament has received six complaints about the award of the internship to Oliver Stubb, Iltalehti reports.
The decision has also been criticized by, among others, Seppo Koskinen, a professor of labor law.
Last week, he told Yle that there was reason to suspect FIIA of not having used the same selection criteria for all applicants.
- From the outside, it doesn't look good, the professor said last week.
FIIA's research program has a particular focus on Finnish foreign policy, Northern European security and NATO.
Oliver Stubb has already started his internship at FIIA, writes Yle.
/ritzau/
