Kalevi Sorsa

Kalevi Sorsa
34th Prime Minister of Finland[1]
In office 19 February 1982 – 30 April 1987
President	Mauno Koivisto
Deputy	Ahti Pekkala (1982–1983) Paavo Väyrynen (1983–1987)
Preceded by	Mauno Koivisto
Succeeded by	Harri Holkeri
In office 15 May 1977 – 26 May 1979
President	Urho Kekkonen
Deputy	Johannes Virolainen
Preceded by	Martti Miettunen
Succeeded by	Mauno Koivisto
In office 4 September 1972 – 13 June 1975
President	Urho Kekkonen
Deputy	Ahti Karjalainen
Preceded by	Rafael Paasio
Succeeded by	Keijo Liinamaa
Personal details
Born	(1930-12-21)21 December 1930 Keuruu, Finland
Died	16 January 2004(2004-01-16) (aged 73) Helsinki, Finland
Nationality	Finnish
Political party	Social Democratic Party

Taisto Kalevi Sorsa (21 December 1930 – 16 January 2004) was a Finnish politician. He was 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.^[2] He was also a long-time leader of the Social Democratic Party of Finland.

Kalevi Sorsa went to school in Jyväskylä and Lappeenranta.

At the age of 18 Sorsa's involvement with SDP politics started in Lappeenranta. In 1969, he was brought in from relative obscurity by Rafael Paasio, former Finnish prime minister, 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.^[3] Prior to his political career, Sorsa worked in Paris for UNESCO from 1959 to 1965, and was Secretary-General of the Finnish UNESCO board from 1965 to 1969. In the late 1960s he also was an official in the Ministry of Education.

Sorsa was a leading political figure during the presidencies of Kekkonen and Koivisto.^[4] He was 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 was 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.^[5] From 1987 to 1996, Sorsa served on the governing board of the Bank of Finland.^[6][4]

Sorsa is regarded as one of Finland's most influential prime ministers, making major contributions to schools and health care, and increasing social security for families with children and pensioners. His governments strengthened the welfare state in Finland, by enacting many reforms—child care laws, longer maternity leave, the annual vacation benefit act, as well as the public health act.

In domestic politics, Sorsa had a particularly difficult relationship with Paavo Väyrynen, the strong-willed head of the Center Party. Another notable conflict was his rivalry with young rising politician Paavo Lipponen.

In June 1984, Sorsa gave a speech on "infocracy" (i.e. the power of the mass media) at the Social Democratic party convention. Infocracy challenges parliamentary democracy, is unintelligent and avoids discussing social problems, he said: it takes more interest in individual politicians than political issues and is never critical of its own actions.^[7]

• Kalevi Sorsa Foundation