Urho Kekkonen

Biography

Urho Kekkonen was a Finnish politician who served as the eighth and longest-serving President of Finland from 1956 to 1982, holding a significant amount of power and dominating Finnish politics for nearly 26 years. He implemented the Paasikivi–Kekkonen doctrine, a policy of active neutrality that allowed Finland to maintain good relations with NATO and the Warsaw Pact while retaining its independence. Kekkonen won his later elections with little opposition, earning him the classification as an autocrat.