1962 Finnish presidential election

none 1962 Finnish presidential election Finland presidential no 1956 Finnish presidential election 1956 1968 Finnish presidential election 1968 15–16 January 1962 130x130px Urho Kekkonen 1961.jpg Urho Kekkonen Agrarian League (Finland) 199 1,394,886 44.29% Paavo-Aitio-1966 (cropped).jpg Paavo Aitio SKDL 62 451,750 20.51% Rafael-Paasio-1963 (cropped 2).jpg Rafael Paasio Social Democratic Party of Finland 37 289,366 13.14% President Urho Kekkonen Agrarian League (Finland) Urho Kekkonen Agrarian League (Finland) Two-stage presidential elections were held in Finland in 1962. 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, p606 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, p630 The turnout for the popular vote was 81.5%.Nohlen & Stöver, p624 Background Since Kekkonen's extremely narrow victory in the 1956 Finnish presidential elections, his political opponents had planned to defeat him in the election of 1962. In the spring of 1961, the Social Democrats, National Coalition Party, Swedish People's Party, People's Party, Small Farmers' Party and the Liberal League nominated former Chancellor of Justice Olavi Honka as their presidential candidate. The Honka League's goal was to receive a majority of the 300 presidential electors, and thus defeat President Kekkonen. At the end of October 1961, the Soviet government sent a diplomatic note to the Finnish Government, claiming that neo-fascism and militarism were growing so much in West Germany that Finland and the Soviet Union were in danger of being attacked by that country or by some other NATO member states. Thus the Soviet Union asked Finland to negotiate on possible joint military co-operation under the Finno-Soviet Treaty articles. The Note Crisis alarmed many Finnish people, politicians and ordinary voters alike. In late November 1961, Honka dropped his presidential candidacy. Kekkonen then travelled to the Soviet Union where the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, briefly negotiated with him and assured the audience in Novosibirsk that Finland and the Soviet Union continued to have good relations, although some Finns tried to worsen them, and that joint military exercises were not needed, after all. Following the Note Crisis, Kekkonen's popularity soared, as many Finnish voters believed him to be more capable than his opponents of defending Finland's neutrality and security. Kekkonen was easily re-elected President Vihavainen, Timo Hyvinvointi-Suomi, osio teoksesta Suomen historian Pikkujättiläinen Porvoo WSOY 840–842 1987 fiVirrankoski, Pentti Suomen historia Porvoo Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura 957–959 fi Hannu Rautkallio Novosibirskin lavastus Helsinki Tammi 1992 fi Results thumb|Urho Kekkonen casting his vote Popular vote Electoral Union of Urho Kekkonen 5 Agrarian League 698199 111 Centre Party (Finland) People's Party 165489 21 Swedish People's Party 35599 6 Others 75961 7 975248 145 Electoral Union of KOK and KP 4 National Coalition Party 288912 37 People's Party 11087 1 Liberal League 7898 1 307897 39 Finnish People's Democratic League 451750 63 Social Democratic Party 289366 36 Swedish People's Party 111741 15 Social Democratic Union of Workers and Smallholders 66166 2 Others 36 0 9237 2714883 Nohln & Stöver Electoral college Urho Kekkonen Agrarian League 199 Paavo Aitio Finnish People's Democratic League 62 Rafael Paasio Social Democratic Party 37 Emil Skog Social Democratic Union of Workers and Smallholders 2 Nohlen & Stöver References 1962 Presidential election Finnish presidential election