1968 Finnish presidential election

none Finland presidential 1962 Finnish presidential election 1962 1978 Finnish presidential election 1978 15–16 January 1968 130x130px Urho Kaleva Kekkonen.jpg Urho Kekkonen Centre Party (Finland) 1,221,078 201 Matti-Virkkunen-1951 (cropped).jpg Matti Virkkunen National Coalition Party 482,693 66 Veikko Vennamo in 1958 (cropped).jpg Veikko Vennamo Finnish Rural Party 231,959 33 President Urho Kekkonen Centre Party (Finland) Urho Kekkonen Centre Party (Finland) 70.16% Two-stage presidential elections were held in Finland in 1968. On 15 and 16 January the public elected presidential electors to an electoral college.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p. 606 978-3-8329-5609-7 They in turn elected the President. The result was a victory for Urho Kekkonen, who won on the first ballot.Nohlen & Stöver, p. 630 The turnout for the popular vote was 70%.Nohlen & Stöver, p. 624 Kekkonen's two opponents, the centre-right National Coalition Party's candidate Director of the National Commercial Bank Matti Virkkunen and the populist Finnish Rural Party's leader Veikko Vennamo, criticized him for governing Finland in a too autocratic way. Vennamo in particular accused Kekkonen of pursuing a too dependent and servile foreign policy towards the Soviet Union. Since almost thirty per cent of the eligible Finnish voters abstained from voting, there was some underlying discontent with the presidential candidates, or Kekkonen's wide lead over his two opponents. Notably, the National Coalitioners and Ruralists - both opposition parties at the time - gained clearly higher percentages of the popular vote than in the 1966 Finnish parliamentary elections. This foreshadowed their major gains in the 1970 Finnish parliamentary elections. Although during this presidential campaign, Kekkonen promised not to run for president again,Timo Vihavainen, "The Welfare Finland" (Hyvinvointi-Suomi), pp. 859–861 in Seppo Zetterberg et al., eds., A Small Giant of the Finnish History / Suomen historian pikkujättiläinen. Helsinki: WSOY, 2003Pentti Virrankoski, A History of Finland / Suomen historia, volumes 1&2. Helsinki: Finnish Literature Society (Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura), 2009, p. 961Martti Häikiö, The Election of President / Presidentin valinta, p. 96. Porvoo: WSOY, 1993What-Where-When: A Citizen's Yearbook (Mitä-Missä-Milloin - Kansalaisen vuosikirja) 1969, p. 140. Helsinki: Otava Ltd., 1968 however, he extended his presidential term in 1973 and ran nearly unopposed in 1978. Results thumb|Inauguration ceremony for the Urho Kekkonen presidency in 1968. Here the President meets the representants of diplomats. Behind him, the Prime minister Ahti Karjalainen Popular vote Electoral Union of Urho Kekkonen 7 Centre Party 421197 65 Centre Party (Finland) Finnish People's Democratic League 345609 56 Social Democratic Party 315068 55 Social Democratic Union of Workers and Smallholders 46833 6 Swedish People's Party 2568 0 Independents 21425 1 1152700 183 Electoral Union of Matti Virkkunen 3 National Coalition Party 432014 58 National Coalition Party Independents 6787 2 438801 60 Electoral Union of Veikko Vennamo 231282 33 Finnish Rural Party Electoral Union of SFP 4 Supporters of Urho Kekkonen 68378 9 Centre Party (Finland) Supporters of Matti Virkkunen 43892 6 National Coalition Party Supporters of Veikko Vennamo 677 0 Finnish Rural Party 112947 15 Electoral Union of LKP 102831 9 Others 31 0 10410 2920635 Nohln & Stöver Electoral college Urho Kekkonen Centre Party 201 Matti Virkkunen National Coalition Party 66 Veikko Vennamo Finnish Rural Party 33 Nohlen & Stöver References Category:Presidential elections in Finland Finland Finland