Finland heads to polling stations as early voting begins in close presidential election

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Finns head to the polls this week as early voting begins for the presidential election, with the main vote to be held at the end of the month.

Voting patterns suggest that a third of domestic and foreign voters are likely to vote by January 28, with Finns abroad also eligible to vote during this period.

Two of the nine candidates have emerged as clear favorites to advance to the second round of voting in mid-February, but a late surge by far-right candidates could still result in a surprise upset.

Two former foreign ministers, alex stubbe The ruling right-wing National Union Party (locally known as Coco Omus) Pekka HarvistThe Green politician has faced intense scrutiny over everything from his foreign policy views to the music, books and food he likes, the cars he drives and his pets during a long campaign. He is clearly leading the way in opinion polls. Social media posts.

of latest poll It shows that Stubb and Haavisto are within 3 percentage points.

The role of president in Finland is one of the few in Europe that is directly elected and largely non-ceremonial, unlike in Italy, Germany, Estonia and Poland, for example. The position also carries constitutional responsibility for foreign policy outside the EU, and the holder becomes the Supreme Commander of the Finnish Defense Forces.

However, the president cannot act unilaterally and must cooperate with the government of the day during his six-year term as Finland’s head of state.

The office became even more important under the incumbent. Sauli NiinistöFinland moves to strengthen its decades-long ties with NATO and formally join the military alliance.

Alex Stubb represents the right

Alex Stubbe, the US-educated former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Finland, has been away from frontline politics for the past seven years, first working at the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg and then at a university in Italy. .

That absence may have shielded him somewhat from the travails of Finland’s domestic political drama. His party, Kokooms, has formed a coalition government with the far-right Finland Party, which has been plagued by controversy over its support for and links to racist and ethno-nationalist conspiracy theories. Since coming to power last summer, it has become a neo-Nazi group.

Mr Stubb has so far been on top of the government race, but still draws support from far-right voters who prefer him to the presidential palace over his liberal Green gay opponent.

Jenny Kalimaki, a political scientist at the institute, said: “With Alex Stubbe, voters got a president who is very well-connected internationally, has political experience and has a wealth of knowledge about the European Union and European politics.” I will do it,” he said. University of Helsinki.

The multilingual Mr. Stubb has been fervently pro-European throughout his political career and supported NATO membership long before it became fashionable. However, questions have been raised about his “likeability” factor, especially since his party is traditionally seen as the party of Finland’s wealthy. Also, his Swedish-Finnish background, elite education, penchant for designer suits, and sometimes brash demeanor can make working-class Finns feel uncomfortable in the wrong way.

Mr Stubb’s campaign said he was too busy to answer questions sent in advance by Euronews.

Pekka Haavisto is on the left.

This is Pekka Haavisto’s third term as Finland’s president, having finished second to Sauli Niinistö in the past two elections.

Haavisto, Europe’s first openly gay cabinet minister, has been a pioneer in representing LGBTQ people at the highest levels of politics, having known his partner for more than 20 years, leading his party, and serving as a special envoy to the United Nations. It is.

“Voters have chosen a president who holds a key position in Finland’s NATO process as Minister of Foreign Affairs, has cutting-edge knowledge in the field of foreign and security policy, and has a background and experience as a peace negotiator in the Global South. I think we’ll get it.” Jenny Kalimaki from the University of Helsinki.

Haavisto told Euronews he was touring the country in a new campaign bus and felt there was “positive momentum” in the campaign.

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“People are very passionate about discussing national security. There’s a lot of enthusiasm in the air,” he added.

Although Haavisto appears to have easily avoided potential scandals during his time at the Foreign Office, he has been criticized for poor management and for the way he handled plans to repatriate Finns married to ISIS fighters and their children. has been done. He is stranded in a refugee camp in Syria.

It is also possible that Haavisto went too far in trying to appeal as an ordinary candidate while alienating some leftists. As part of his strategy to attract centrist and soft-right voters, Haavisto declared that he was not a “red” candidate. He dismissed the failure, telling Euronews that “party affiliation is not at the forefront” of the campaign.

Jenny Kalimäki from the University of Helsinki added: “Haavisto’s track record and his management skills and style have been recognized in the Finnish media.”

Seven other candidates are in the race.

There are seven other candidates, but so far none seem to be able to make a breakthrough in the national constituency.

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Leader of the Left Alliance Party lee anderson Although she is considered one of the brightest politicians of her generation, she remains polled in the mid-single digits.

Jutta UrpilainenHe was on leave from his job as Finland’s EU commissioner and only jumped into the race late last year, somewhat half-heartedly, but he was unable to gain any real traction with the Social Democratic Party.

Christian Democratic Party sari essay, a former congressman and 1993 10,000-meter world speedwalking champion, is running for president for the second time, but still has an approval rating of around 1% to 2%.meanwhile Hyaris Halkimoa billionaire reality TV star who started his own political party, Movement Now, found himself similarly depressed there.

of the central party ollie lane, another former EU Commissioner and current Governor of the Bank of Finland, is running a solid campaign and looks like a “president” on the outside, but his party’s national fortunes have changed since the last general election. We are in a downturn and this will almost certainly have an impact. Him: Mr. Lane is lucky that in the first round he will get more than 10% of the votes.

Mika AaltraThe independent candidate with a background in foreign policy has seen his polling numbers drop like a rock, having been one of the front-runners a year ago and now in the low single digits. The lack of party infrastructure to support his campaign and his lack of previous political experience have proven to be weaknesses in his presidential bid.

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Jussi Halaaho, candidate for the far-right Finland Party, is trying to ignite his campaign with increasingly populist rhetoric. He filed a complaint with the police for calling a young Green Party politician and a comedian “fascists”. He has also said that parliamentarians and government ministers should be native-born Finns with no foreign background, a move criticized as unconstitutional.

But will he be able to gain late populist support and advance to the second round?

“As far as I know, Halaaho’s support comes mainly from supporters of the Finnish Party, and he has not been able to attract cross-party support,” said Jenny Kalimäki from the University of Helsinki.

“The Finns Party’s approval rating is around 17%, so if he can convince everyone it could be a close race, but for that to happen Halaaho needs to win back all the Finns Party supporters who currently support Alexander Stubb. “There is,” she explains. .

“So far, however, Halaaho’s campaign has not revealed any new aspects of him and his politics that would turn the tide in favor of Stubb.”

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