Veltto Virtanen

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Pertti "Veltto" Virtanen (b. May 18, 1951) is a rock personality, Presidential candidate, and a member of 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.