War-time leader Mannerheim voted "Greatest Finn"
C.G.E. Mannerheim
|
Risto Ryti
|
Urho Kekkonen
|
|
|
Marshall C.G.E Mannerheim, Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Defence Forces during the Winter War and Continuation War, was chosen as the "Greatest Finn" in a call-in vote during a television programme aired on Sunday on the public service network YLE TV-1.
The programme followed an international format, in which ten finalists were chosen from a field of 100 candidates to represent the best of the nation. A half-hour television programme was dedicated to each of the ten finalists. Each biographical programme was narrated by an expert seeking to persuade the television audience of the virtues of the Finn in question.
The public at large voted by telephone during a live programme on Sunday evening.
Mannerheim received 104,244 votes. Second was President Risto Ryti who was in office during the war; he got 80,790 votes. Third was President Urho Kekkonen, who led the country from 1956 to 1981.
Other finalists included General Adolf Ehrnrooth, the current President Tarja Halonen, paediatrician Arvo Ylppö, 16th century Bishop Mikael Agricola, who is considered the father of the Finnish written language, composer Jean Sibelius, 19th century novelist and dramatist Aleksis Kivi, and Elias Lönnrot, who compiled the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, on the basis of Finnish folk poems from the oral tradition, which he collected during extensive travels.
Helsingin Sanomat
|
| 7.12.2004 - TODAY |
 War-time leader Mannerheim voted "Greatest Finn" |
|
