Kalevi Sorsa
| Kalevi Sorsa | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Prime Minister of Finland | |
|
In office February 19, 1982 – April 30, 1987 |
|
| President | Mauno Koivisto |
| Deputy |
Ahti Pekkala (1982–1983) Paavo Väyrynen (1983–1987) |
| Preceded by | Mauno Koivisto |
| Succeeded by | Harri Holkeri |
|
In office May 15, 1977 – May 26, 1979 |
|
| President | Urho Kekkonen |
| Deputy | Johannes Virolainen |
| Preceded by | Martti Miettunen |
| Succeeded by | Mauno Koivisto |
|
In office September 4, 1972 – June 13, 1975 |
|
| President | Urho Kekkonen |
| Deputy | Ahti Karjalainen |
| Preceded by | Rafael Paasio |
| Succeeded by | Keijo Liinamaa |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 21, 1930 Keuruu, Finland |
| Died | January 16, 2004 (aged 73) Helsinki, Finland |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
Taisto Kalevi Sorsa (December 21, 1930 – January 16, 2004) was a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland three times: 1972–1975, 1977–1979 and 1982–1987. At the time of his death he still held the record for most days of incumbency as prime minister. He was also a long-time leader of the Social Democratic Party of Finland.
Kalevi Sorsa went to school in Jyväskylä and Lappeenranta. Sorsa's involvement with SDP politics started in Lappeenranta in 1948. In 1969, he was brought in from relative obscurity by Rafael Paasio to assume the influential post of party secretary, despite not having much previous experience of national politics. (A 2008 book by historian Jukka Seppinen suggested that Sorsa was at this date already receiving support from Soviet backers in the KGB).
Prior to his political career, Sorsa worked in Paris for UNESCO from 1959 to 1965, and served as Secretary-General of the Finnish UNESCO board from 1965 to 1969. In the late 1960s he also served as an official in the Ministry of Education.
In 1992 Kalevi Sorsa announced that he would stand in the coming 1994 presidential elections. Documents found in the CPSU Central Committee archive in Moscow during the trial of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, however, indicated that Sorsa had long maintained "confidential contacts" with the Soviet authorities. When news of this information finally broke in the Finnish press, Sorsa issued a public apology and withdrew his candidacy. Martti Ahtisaari took his place as the candidate of the Social Democratic Party.
Sorsa was a leading political figure during the presidencies of Kekkonen and Koivisto. He served as the chairman of the Social Democratic Party from 1975 to 1987 and was Prime Minister of Finland in four cabinets for a total of ten years (1972–1975, 1977–1979, 1982–1983, 1983–1987). He remains Finland's longest-serving prime minister. After his premiership he served as the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament from 1989 to 1991. During his career he also served twice as Deputy Prime Minister, from 1975 to 1976 and from 1987 to 1989.
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