New and Different in New Year’s Speeches by Finland’s Presidents, 2001–2025

This chapter presents a rhetorical analysis of Finnish presidential New Year’s speeches, focusing on the addresses of Presidents Urho Kekkonen (1956–1981), Tarja Halonen (2000–2012), Sauli Niinistö (2012–2024), and Alexander Stubb (2024–). Building on earlier rhetorical analyses of Kekkonen’s speeches, the study compares contemporary addresses to Kekkonen’s rhetoric and also to one another, aiming to identify rhetorical shifts and developments in presidential discourse over the course of the current millennium. The analysis explores how rhetorical styles, thematic emphases, and political contexts have evolved from the Cold War era to the present. Drawing on classical rhetorical theory and previous scholarship, it examines the use of personal pronouns, emotional appeals, metaphors, and references to domestic and international affairs. The findings reveal a shift from Kekkonen’s paternalistic and domestically focused rhetoric to more internationally oriented, inclusive, and emotionally resonant styles in the twenty-first century. The study also identifies broader rhetorical trends such as the increased use of the first-person plural and a move towards a more “democratic chattiness.” Overall, this chapter demonstrates how presidential rhetoric reflects the societal and international contexts in which speeches are delivered.