Somnath leads Parliamentary delegation to Finland

New Delhi, May 31: A Parliamentary delegation, led by Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, will attend the one-day festivities at Helsinki tomorrow to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the setting up of the modern Parliament in Finland.

It was in 1906 that 'Eduskunta', the unicameral Parliament of Finland, became the most modern Parliament with the reforms on the Parliament Act and the Electoral Law.

Besides Mr Chatterjee, the delegation consists of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan, Lok Sabha Secretary General P D T Achary and his Rajya Sabha counterpart Yogendra Narain.

The festivities will include a special plenary session followed by a concert and dinner at the Finnish National Opera, to be arranged by the Finnish Parliament.

During his stay, Mr Chatterjee will pay a courtesy call on Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, and will also meet his counterparts from Finland, Estonia, China and Germany.

Thereafter, he will leave for London to attend the CPA Wilton Park Conference from June 5-9, where he will initiate a discussion on the subject ''What Should be Parliamentarians' Priorities to Reduce Poverty''.

UNI