Urho Kekkonen - Legacy

Legacy

Some of Kekkonen's actions remain controversial in modern Finland. He often used what was termed the "Moscow card" when his authority was threatened, but he was not the only Finnish politician with close relations to Soviet representatives. Kekkonen's authoritarian behavior during his presidential term was one of the main reasons for the reforms of the Finnish Constitution in 1984–2003. Under these, the powers of Parliament and the Prime Minister were increased at the expense of Presidential power. Several of the changes were initiated by Kekkonen's successors.

• Presidential terms were limited to two consecutive ones.
• The President's role in cabinet formation was restricted.
• The President was to be elected directly, not by an electoral college.
• The President could no longer dissolve Parliament without the support of the Prime Minister.
• The Prime Minister's role in shaping the foreign relations of Finland was enhanced.

Kekkonen was largely responsible for Finlandization, a policy that allowed the Soviet Union to exert power over the country. The policy spanned his whole presidency with human rights violations associated with Finlandization carried out on the orders of Kekkonen. For example, he insisted that all Soviet defectors who managed to escape across the border to Finland were to be forcibly repatriated.

Although controversial, his policy of neutrality allowed trade with both the Communist and Western blocs. The bilateral trade policy with the Soviet Union was lucrative for many Finnish businesses. His term saw a period of extremely high sustained economic growth and increasing integration with the West (such as EFTA). He remained highly popular during his term, even though such a profile approached that of a personality cult towards the end of his term. He is still popular among many of his contemporaries, particularly in his own Centre Party. Much controversy surrounds the interpretation of his policy.