biography
| name: |
Kekkonen, Urho K(aleva)
|
pronunciation:
[kekonen]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1900–86)
|
| biography:
| Finnish prime minister (1950–3, 1954–6) and president of Finland (1956–81), born in Pielavesi, C Finland. He studied law at Helsinki University, and worked in the Ministry of Agriculture before entering parliament as an Agrarian party deputy (1936). Although he had always been hostile to Stalinist Russia, as president he encouraged a policy of cautious friendship with the Soviet Union. At the same time his strict neutrality ensured that he retained the confidence of his Scandinavian neighbours. He supported Finland's membership of the European Free Trade Association (1961), and was host to the 35-nation European Security Conference in Helsinki (1975). He accepted a Lenin Peace Prize in 1980. His popularity in Finland led to the passage of special legislation enabling him to remain in office until 1984, but his health gave way and he resigned in 1981. |
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