Kalevi Sorsa

Taisto Kalevi Sorsa (December 21, 1930 - January 16, 2004) was a Finnish politician who was Prime Minister of Finland four times: 1972-1975, 1977-1979, 1982-1983 and 1983-1987 and at the date of his death still held the Finnish record of most days of incumbency as prime minister. He was also longtime leader of the Social Democratic Party of Finland.

Related Topics:
December 21 - 1930 - January 16 - 2004 - Finnish - Prime Minister - 1972 - 1975 - 1977 - 1979 - 1982 - 1983 - 1987 - Social Democratic Party of Finland

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Before a meteoric rise to the top of Finnish politics Kalevi Sorsa worked as a publishing editor, with his greatest "claim to fame" being to turn down the first novel of Kalle Päätalo, which turned out to be one of the greatest Finnish bestsellers of all time. Sorsa was brought in from this relative obscurity by Rafael Paasio to assume the influential post of party secretary without much previous experience of politics.

Related Topics:
Kalle Päätalo - Rafael Paasio

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One of the most strongwilled but also thinskinned public figures, Sorsa had numerous fractious relations with other politicians and the whole of the media, which he lambasted by coining a pejorative epithet "infokratia".

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He had good relations with those politicians who were clearly at a level he could not approach, such as Rafael Paasio and Willy Brandt who took him under their wings as a protege in the Socialist international. Analogously he had good relations with politicians he could hold in sway, and who enforced his policies, although he tolerated very little independence of thought in his underlings.

Related Topics:
Willy Brandt - Socialist international

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Of the politicians of his era, the most difficult relationship he had with Paavo Väyrynen, an equally strongwilled opponent at the helm of the Center Party. Another notable prolonged conflict was an internecine rivalry with the young Paavo Lipponen on his way up.

Related Topics:
Paavo Väyrynen - Paavo Lipponen

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