Jouko Kajanoja

Jouko Kajanoja (born 23 December 1942) is a Finnish economist and politician who served as minister of labour between 1981 and 1982. He was a member of the Communist Party which he headed from 1982 to 1984.

Jouko Kajanoja
Chairman of the Communist Party
In office 15 May 1982 – June 1984
Succeeded by	Arvo Aalto
Minister of Labour
In office March 1981 – 1982
Prime Minister	Mauno Koivisto Kalevi Sorsa
Personal details
Born	(1942-12-23) 23 December 1942 (age 81) Tammela, Finland
Political party	Communist Party
Profession	Economist

Biography

Kajanoja was born in Tammela, Finland, on 23 December 1942.^[1][2] He joined the Communist Party being part of the fraction which was the third group after the moderates and doctrinaire faction.^[3] In March 1981 he was appointed minister of labour to the cabinet led by Mauno Koivisto. He also served in the same post in the next cabinet led by Kalevi Sorsa.^[4]

On 15 May 1982 Kajanoja became the chairman of the Communist Party.^[5][6] He was elected to the post as a result of the conflicts between the leaders of two major fractions within the party.^[3] Kajanoja was supported by the Soviet Communist Party during his tenure which ended in June 1984 when Arvo Aalto won the election.^[7] In the election Aalto won 183 votes against 163 votes in favor of Kajanoja.^[7]

Later Kajanoja became secretary general of the Democratic Choice.^[8] On 13 August 1987 Kajanoja was nominated by the Democratic Alternative as the candidate for the presidency.^[8] He could obtain only 1.4% of the votes in the elections held in February 1988.^[9][10]

Kajanoja was married to Pirjo Turpeinen-Saari in the period between 1985 and 1996.^[11]

References

1. "Jouko Kajanoja". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 23 December 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
2. "Kajanoja, Jouko" (in Finnish). YKSA. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
3. Eric Solsten; Sandra W. Meditz, eds. (1988). "The Communist Party". Finland: A Country Study. Washington, DC: GPO for the Library of Congress. ISBN 978-1490435749.
4. John Paxton, ed. (2016). The Statesman's Year-Book 1982-83 (119th ed.). London; Basingstoke: The Macmillan Press. p. 460. ISBN 978-0-230-27111-1.
5. The World Factbook. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency. 1984. p. 73.
6. "Year 1982 in Finnish Foreign Policy". Eilen. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
7. "Finnish Party Ousts Pro-Soviet Faction". The New York Times. 6 June 1984. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
8. "Year 1987 in Finnish Foreign Policy". Eilen. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
9. Jukka Paastela (1988). "The 1988 Presidential Election in Finland". Scandinavian Political Studies. 11 (2).
10. "Less support than expected for Finnish president". United Press International. Helsinki. 1 February 1988. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
11. "Anti-immigrant agitator Janitskin running for Finnish, EU parliament seats". YLE News. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2022.