Finns will vote on Sunday in the presidential election run-off between candidate Alexander Stubbe of the center-right Finnish People’s Union party and Pekka Haavisto of the liberal Green Party.
Former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb won by a narrow margin in the first round of voting on January 28, and the latest opinion polls show him with a 6-8 point lead over center-left liberal Pekka Haavisto, a former foreign minister.
In the first round, Stubb received 27.2% support, followed by Hervist with 25.8%. No one received more than 50% of votes, so a run-off vote is required.
Here’s a guide to the elections:
What are the responsibilities of the President of Finland?
The President of Finland leads foreign and security policy and represents the country at NATO meetings.
The President also serves as the Supreme Commander of the Finnish Defense Forces and decides on significant changes in military preparedness.
The president appoints and dismisses cabinet members, some senior civil servants, and Supreme Court justices. At the request of the prime minister, the president has the power to order early parliamentary elections.
How is the President of Finland elected?
The president must be a citizen of Finnish origin and is directly elected by universal suffrage for a six-year term.
Since the switch from an electoral system to a direct popular vote in 1994, a president cannot be elected for more than two consecutive terms.
Presidential candidates are nominated by registered political parties or constituency associations established by 20,000 people eligible to vote.
What time is voting?
Voting will open on February 11th at 0900 EET (0700 GMT) and close at 2000 EET (1800 GMT).
According to official data, Finland’s early voting period ran from January 31st to February 6th, with around 46% of those eligible to vote voting.
In the first round of voting on January 28, turnout was 74.9%, up from 69.9% in the previous presidential election in 2018.
When will I know the results?
Pre-voting results will be confirmed immediately after voting closes at 1800 GMT on Sunday.
The full results are expected as vote counting progresses and are most likely to be known by 9pm GMT on Sunday.
The results of the second election will be finalized on February 14th.
candidate:
alexander stubbe
The 55-year-old multilingual National Union Party’s front-runner for president, Alexander Stubb, is known as a pro-European cosmopolitan who has previously served as prime minister, foreign minister and member of the European Parliament.
In 2017, Stubbe left Finnish politics to become vice president of the European Investment Bank and then head of the European University Institute in Florence, before returning to the presidential race.
Pekka Harvist
Liberal Pekka Haavisto, a member of the Green League and a former UN diplomat, has previously run for president twice, in 2012 and 2018, coming in second behind outgoing President Sauli Niinistö. It is ranked first.
The 65-year-old center-left frontrunner was Finland’s foreign minister from 2019 to 2023, and previously held other cabinet positions. If elected, Haavisto will become Finland’s first openly gay president.Reuters