Finland, you had Kekkonen because he was seen as a safe and strong option for standing up to the USSR. Kaz had Nazarbayev for decades because he happened to be the Soviet in charge when the USSR collapsed, and never held a free or fair election. I guess there are similarities in terms of the backdrop against which change comes (the change in threat level presented by the USSR/Russia), but beyond that, I think it superficial.

That said, I know little about Finnish politics.