Since no candidate received more than a majority of votes, the result will force the race to a runoff between Mr. Stubbe and Mr. Hervist on February 11th.
advertisementFormer Prime Minister Alexander Stubb won the first round of Finland’s presidential election on Sunday and will face runner-up Pekka Haavisto in next month’s run-off.
The main focus of the vote was the Nordic countries’ new role as NATO’s frontline states against Russia, and the security situation in Europe, particularly Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
After all the votes were counted, Stubb led the first round with 27.2% of the votes, followed by Haavisto, Finland’s top diplomat from 2019 to 2023, in second place with 25.8%. Parliament Speaker Jussi Halaaho was in third place with 19%, followed by Bank of Finland Governor Olli Rehn with 15.3%.
The results of the first round will be officially announced on Tuesday. Since no candidate received more than a majority of votes, the result will force the race to a runoff between Mr. Stubbe and Mr. Hervist on February 11th.
“It’s heartwarming to be able to achieve this result with my team. I’m grateful and humbled,” Stubbe told supporters at an election party at a restaurant in Helsinki, as he prepares for the second round of elections. He added that he does not plan any major changes to his activities. .
“This is more than I believed,” Stubb told Finnish public broadcaster YLE.
Meanwhile, Haavisto said at an election party in Helsinki on Sunday night: “We have made it to the second round. It is clear. We are very happy and satisfied. We have worked hard for this. ” he said.
Conservatives vs. Ecologists
Mr. Stubbe, 55, and Mr. Hervist, 65, were the main candidates in the election.
Some 4.5 million voters chose from a field of nine candidates to replace the hugely popular President Sauli Niinistö, whose second six-year term expires in March. He was not eligible for re-election.
Mr Stubb heads the conservative National Union Party and led the Finnish government from 2014 to 2015, having previously held other key ministerial posts and is a former United Nations diplomat and member of the Green League. Harvist, a veteran politician, is running for the Conservative Party for the third time. Independent Candidate.
Unlike most European countries, the President of Finland has executive powers in the formulation of foreign and security policy, especially when dealing with countries outside the European Union such as the United States, Russia, and China.
The President is also the Supreme Commander of the Finnish Armed Forces, a particularly important role in the current European security environment.
The main themes of the election were foreign and security, including Finland’s recent membership in NATO, future policy toward Russia, increased security cooperation with the United States, and the need to continue supporting Ukraine with both military and humanitarian aid. It was a matter of policy.
Finland’s new leader will begin his six-year term in March amid a markedly different European geopolitical and security situation than the incumbent Niinistö faced after the 2018 election.
Finland became NATO’s 31st member state in April, abandoning decades of military non-alignment following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Russia’s Vladimir border, which shares a 1,340-kilometre border with the Nordic nation, This greatly annoyed President Putin.
Finland’s entry into NATO, making it the Western military alliance’s frontline country against Russia, and the escalating war in Ukraine, just 1,000 kilometers from Finland’s border, have elevated the president’s status as a security leader.
The president usually represents Finland at NATO summits.
As foreign minister, Haavisto signed Finland’s historic NATO accession treaty last year and played a key role in the accession process alongside Niinistö and former Prime Minister Sanna Marin.
advertisementFinland’s western neighbor Sweden is also expected to join NATO in the near future, and Hungary, the last holdout, is expected to ratify Stockholm’s application by the end of February.