Alexander Stubbe of Finland’s centre-right National Union Party will face Pekka Haavisto of the Green Party in the run-off after narrowly winning the first round of the country’s presidential election on Sunday. Became.
After all votes were counted, Stubb came in first place with 27.2% of support, followed by Haavisto in second place with 25.8% and nationalist Jussi Halaaho in third place with 19.0% support.
The runoff election is scheduled for February 11th.
Mr Stubb, a former prime minister, told supporters: “We have made it to the final, but the competition begins now.”
Her rival in the second round, former Foreign Minister Haavisto, is a human rights activist who also worked as a peace negotiator.
“Our mission is to reach out to those whose candidates did not make it to the second round,” Haavisto said in a speech to supporters.
According to official data, turnout was 74.9%, up from 69.9% in the previous presidential election in 2018.
Finland is looking for a leader focused on foreign policy
The President of Finland works closely with the government to lead foreign and security policy, represents the country at NATO meetings, and serves as the Supreme Commander of the Finnish Defense Forces.
The new president will take over the reins of Finland’s foreign and security policy from incumbent Sauli Niinistö, who is retiring after two consecutive six-year terms.
Mr. Stubbe and Mr. Harvist are supporters of Ukraine and call for tough measures against Russia.
During the campaign, Mr. Stubbe and Mr. Haavisto became politically centrist, while Mr. Halaaho remained right-wing conservative.
In Helsinki, one of the early voters, Lina Bokša, 26, said voting this time was especially important given the war in Ukraine and the difficult situation it had created.
He said Stubb, who is seen by Finns as internationally pro-European, was the right person to lead the country’s foreign policy.
“I voted for Alexander Stubbe because I think he is very good at dealing with other countries and has good relationships with people outside of Finland,” he said as he accompanied a friend to the polls on Sunday. said Bokusha, who was out with her baby.
Jere Markkinen, 22, a mechanical engineering student, had a different opinion.
“He doesn’t think so. [Stubb] He would be a very good president because it looks like he doesn’t want to represent the people, he wants to represent himself,” Markkinen said.
He said he had voted for Haavisto in advance.
“He has experience in foreign politics and, unlike other candidates, is known for his overall smart behavior,” Markkinen said.
The Nordic country joined NATO last year, prompting threats of “countermeasures” from its much larger neighbor.
In December, Finland closed its entire border with Russia to passenger traffic in response to a surge in migrants attempting to cross the border. Moscow denied Finland’s claims that it was sending migrants.
Finland’s first NATO president
Mr Stubb, 55, is a pro-European fiscal conservative who described himself as a “moderate” in an interview with Reuters before the election.
He said the next president would not only be Finland’s first NATO president, but also “a Western president in many senses”, with a foreign policy tilt toward countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Finland’s Nordic neighbors. I asked for it.
“I think Finns are looking for a new era of president,” Stubb told public broadcaster Yell on Sunday.
Haavist, who came in second to Niinist in 2018 and 2012, had been leading Stubb in the polls for several months, but the tide changed in December.
Johanna Vuorelma, a political scientist at the University of Helsinki, said that during the election campaign, candidates had been competing to take the toughest stance on Russia, but that did not benefit Haavisto, who is known as a left-liberal. No, he told Reuters before the election.
“There is a clear hardening in the debate on border measures, and the human rights perspective is almost at its limit at the moment,” Buolema said.
“I see this system as benefiting right-wing conservatives more than left-wing liberals.”
He said Haavisto was one of the candidates who had to explore a harder line in order to appear credible.
Updated: January 28, 2024, 10:42 p.m.