Veltto Virtanen
Encyclopedia
Pertti Olavi "Veltto" Virtanen (born 18 May 1951 in Hämeenlinna
) is a rock personality, presidential candidate, and a member of the Finnish Parliament from Tampere
, Finland
.
In music
he performed both as a solo artist and in the bands Virtanen
(with Moog Konttinen), Välikausitakki and Sammas. Elektroninen xstaasi is considered the most famous of Veltto Virtanen's songs. Välikausitakki was notable for including also Mikko Alatalo
, Harri Rinne and later also Juice Leskinen
.
After running as an avowed spoiler in the 1994 presidential
election, his surprisingly respectable popular vote spurred him to run in the 1995 election for the house of representatives
as an essentially independent candidate, and indeed managed to get in. His terms in the Parliament were characteristically quixotic
; the speeches he made being exercises in near-shamanistic eloqution, and counter to parliamentary protocol refusing to bare his head, sporting various headgear, but being most famous for his "artistic" beret
. Although mostly a picturesque spice to the daily routines of the institution, he enjoyed considerable respect from many colleagues in the house.
The negligible party KiPu which tactically allied themselves to Veltto, never gained a member of its own, with or without his help; and thus he formed a one-man party-group in the house. Outside critics of the phenomenon of his political success wrote a muckraking book Huijari - Veltto Virtanen & Kirjava Puolue (publisher: Veitikka Kustannus 1999).
He continued in elective politics by running in the 1999 and 2003 parliamentary elections with prodigious electoral votes, but failing to enter the house due to the punitive nature for minor parties of the Finnish D'Hondt method
of voting.
Virtanen became again a member of Parliament in parliamentary elections of 2007
, this time representing the True Finns
party.
Besides his musical and political career, he has also worked as a motivational speaker, most notably for some winter sports teams. Currently he is a member of the Finnish Parliament and municipal council of Tampere. In Mayday
2011 the newly elected member of the parliament delivered a political Mayday speech, where he stated that if the Swedish People's Party were to become part of the next cabinet with the True Finns, he would resign from the party and vomit for five days. - Jos perussuomalaiset lähtevät samaan hallitukseen RKP:n kanssa, eroan puolueesta ja oksenna viisi päivää.
Hämeenlinna
Hämeenlinna is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Häme in the south of Finland and is the birthplace of composer Jean Sibelius. Today, it belongs to the region of Tavastia Proper, and until 2010 it was the residence city for the Governor of the...
) is a rock personality, presidential candidate, and a member of the Finnish Parliament from Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
In music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
he performed both as a solo artist and in the bands Virtanen
Virtanen
Virtanen or Wirtanen may refer to:*Virtanen *46P/Wirtanen, a comet*1449 Virtanen, an asteroid*Virtanen , a lunar crater*Virtanen, a cocktail with Koskenkorva Viina...
(with Moog Konttinen), Välikausitakki and Sammas. Elektroninen xstaasi is considered the most famous of Veltto Virtanen's songs. Välikausitakki was notable for including also Mikko Alatalo
Mikko Alatalo
Mikko Tapio Alatalo is a Finnish musician and politician.Alatalo is mostly known for his long and famous musical career. His style is primarily seen as children's music and folk music but he has contributed to other genres as well, including a long partnership with rock musician Juice Leskinen...
, Harri Rinne and later also Juice Leskinen
Juice Leskinen
Juhani Juice Leskinen , better known as Juice Leskinen , was one of the most prominent Finnish singer-songwriters of the late 20th century. From the early 1970s onward he released nearly 30 full-length albums, as well as writing song lyrics for dozens of Finnish artists...
.
After running as an avowed spoiler in the 1994 presidential
President of Finland
The President of the Republic of Finland is the nation's head of state. Under the Finnish constitution, executive power is vested in the President and the government, with the President possessing extensive powers. The President is elected directly by the people of Finland for a term of six years....
election, his surprisingly respectable popular vote spurred him to run in the 1995 election for the house of representatives
Parliament of Finland
The Eduskunta , is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011.- Constitution :...
as an essentially independent candidate, and indeed managed to get in. His terms in the Parliament were characteristically quixotic
Quixotism
Quixotism is impracticality in pursuit of ideals, especially those ideals manifested by rash, lofty and romantic ideas or extravagantly chivalrous action. It also serves to describe an idealism without regard to practicality...
; the speeches he made being exercises in near-shamanistic eloqution, and counter to parliamentary protocol refusing to bare his head, sporting various headgear, but being most famous for his "artistic" beret
Beret
A beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt, or acrylic fiber....
. Although mostly a picturesque spice to the daily routines of the institution, he enjoyed considerable respect from many colleagues in the house.
The negligible party KiPu which tactically allied themselves to Veltto, never gained a member of its own, with or without his help; and thus he formed a one-man party-group in the house. Outside critics of the phenomenon of his political success wrote a muckraking book Huijari - Veltto Virtanen & Kirjava Puolue (publisher: Veitikka Kustannus 1999).
He continued in elective politics by running in the 1999 and 2003 parliamentary elections with prodigious electoral votes, but failing to enter the house due to the punitive nature for minor parties of the Finnish D'Hondt method
D'Hondt method
The d'Hondt method is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. The method described is named after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt who described it in 1878...
of voting.
Virtanen became again a member of Parliament in parliamentary elections of 2007
Finnish parliamentary election, 2007
The Finnish parliamentary election of 2007 was the 35th election to the Eduskunta , held on 18 March 2007 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term. Early voting was possible from the 7–13 March. Two hundred MPs were elected from 15 constituencies.Election themes included a reduction...
, this time representing the True Finns
True Finns
True Finns or The Finns is a populist and nationalist political party in Finland, founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party. The head of the movement is Timo Soini. In the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election, The party won 19.1% of votes, becoming the third largest party...
party.
Besides his musical and political career, he has also worked as a motivational speaker, most notably for some winter sports teams. Currently he is a member of the Finnish Parliament and municipal council of Tampere. In Mayday
Mayday
Mayday is a distress signalMayday or May Day may also refer to:* May Day, a holiday on or around May 1** International Workers' Day* Mayday, Colorado- Music :* Mayday , an electronic music festival* Mayday...
2011 the newly elected member of the parliament delivered a political Mayday speech, where he stated that if the Swedish People's Party were to become part of the next cabinet with the True Finns, he would resign from the party and vomit for five days. - Jos perussuomalaiset lähtevät samaan hallitukseen RKP:n kanssa, eroan puolueesta ja oksenna viisi päivää.
List of albums
- Virtanen: Hal-00 (1974)
- Virtanen: Uusi jääkausi uhkaa (1975)
- Kusessa (1976)
- Ronkpukki (1978)
- Välikaustakki: Välikaustakki (1978)
- Tässä seison (1978)
- Beibi (1982)
- Virtanen: Klassikot - Ne surkeimmat (1990)
- Sammas: Sampo-Passio (1990)