HELSINKI (Reuters) – Opinion polls show center-right Alexander Stubb of the National Union party will win Sunday’s run-off in Finland’s presidential election in which the Nordic country will elect a new security and foreign policy leader. He became the most likely candidate.
The vote marks a new turn for Finland, which for decades has elected its president to promote diplomacy, especially with neighboring Russia, and has chosen not to join the military alliance to ease tensions between Russia and NATO. It heralds a new era.
But after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the Finns changed their mind about playing that role, resulting in a rapid U-turn that led to Finland joining NATO last April.
The new president, now under the security umbrella of the Western alliance, has earned the nickname “Putin’s Whisperer” for his past close ties with the Russian leader and is completing two six-year terms. He will succeed Sauli Niinisto, who is retiring.
Niinistö’s successor will play a central role in defining Finland’s NATO policy, while working closely with the government to lead overall foreign and security policy and serve as commander-in-chief of the military. It turns out.
According to official data, nearly 46% of those eligible to vote have cast their votes ahead of Sunday, and the first results of advance voting are expected to be announced shortly after voting closes at 1800 GMT. The winner is expected to be known by around 2100 JST.
There is no relationship with Russia
Mr Stubb, a former prime minister, won the first round of elections on January 28 with 27.2% of the vote, beating Pekka Haavisto of the liberal Green Party with 25.8%. He also leads Harvist in the poll, with a 6-8 point lead in recent years.
Both candidates are pro-Europeans and strong supporters of Ukraine, which has taken a hard line against Russia on the campaign trail.
In an interview with Reuters last month, Stubb said there would be no Russian pillar in Finland’s foreign policy for the time being.
“Politically, we have no ties to the Russian president or the Russian political leadership until we stop the war in Ukraine.”
Stubbe supports closer NATO cooperation, including allowing the transport of nuclear weapons within Finland and keeping some NATO troops permanently stationed in Finland. However, he does not support storing nuclear weapons in Finland.
“Nuclear weapons are sometimes a guarantee of peace,” Stubb said during Tuesday’s debate.
Haavisto, a former foreign minister, UN peace negotiator and known human rights advocate, called for a more cautious approach.
Haavisto wants Finland to maintain a ban on nuclear weapons within its borders and believes that the current security situation does not require the permanent deployment of NATO forces.
Russia has threatened to retaliate against Finland after it joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and signed a defense cooperation agreement with the United States in December.
(Reporting by Ann Kaulanen; Editing by Kylie McClellan)