Prime Minister Quits Amid Flap Over Leaks

Finland’s first female prime minister, Anneli Jaatteenmaki, resigned amid accusations that she lied about the leak of sensitive political information during the election campaign.

Jaatteenmaki’s Finnish Center party won a narrow victory in March elections over the ruling Social Democrats after accusing the incumbent prime minister of compromising Finland’s neutrality by supporting the Iraq war.

But she was accused of using leaked confidential Foreign Ministry documents to exploit the antiwar feeling among Finns. She was also accused of publishing classified documents on her Web site and inciting others to pass on the material.