HELSINKI, Jan. 28 — Finns are heading to the polls today to elect a new president. The president’s importance has increased as tensions with neighboring Russia have escalated since the invasion of Ukraine.
Although the president’s powers are limited, the head of state, who also serves as commander-in-chief of the Finnish armed forces, works with the government to help direct foreign policy, and the changing geopolitical situation in Europe is key for the winners. This means that it is a matter of serious concern.
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The group of nine candidates is led by two top politicians: Conservative former prime minister Alexander Stubb and former Green Party foreign minister Pekka Haavisto, who is running as an independent.
Just behind the front-runner is Jussi Halaaho of the far-right Finland Party, who experts believe could also advance to the second round.
Voting opens at 9am (1pm Malaysian time) and closes at 8pm.
Relations between Moscow and Helsinki soured following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Finland ended its decades-long military non-alignment relationship and joined NATO in April 2023.
Russia, which shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Finland, immediately warned of “countermeasures.”
independent and ally
A few months later, in August 2023, Finland saw an influx of migrants entering the country through its eastern border without visas.
Helsinki claimed Moscow was pushing hybrid attacks on migrants to destabilize and Finland closed its eastern border in November.
“We are now in a situation where Russia, especially Vladimir Putin, is using humans as weapons,” Stubb said in the final televised debate Thursday night.
“This is an immigration issue and a callous and cynical measure. In that case, we must prioritize the safety of Finland,” he added.
Main rival Haavisto stressed that Finland needed to “send a clear message to Russia that this cannot continue”.
After the Cold War, Helsinki maintained good relations with Moscow.
Incumbent President Sauli Niinistö, who is retiring after two six-year terms, was proud of his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but has since become one of Putin’s harshest critics. became.
Against this backdrop, all presidential candidates are defending both Finland’s independence and its new role as a member of NATO, said Hanna Wass, deputy dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki.
“They all seem to have strong ideas that emphasize self-sufficiency,” Wass told AFP. “In the future, Finland will be in charge of its own defence, and will be involved in building a common European defense and Nordic cooperation.” We should actively contribute.”
Tuomas Forsberg, a foreign policy professor at Tampere University, said a similar stance would lead to more emphasis on candidate character in elections.
“This will be less about choosing an individual and more about that person’s credibility and trustworthiness and their perceived qualities as a foreign policy leader,” Forsberg said.
similar view
According to a public opinion poll released by public broadcaster Yell, in the first round of voting, Stubb came in first with 27% of the votes, followed by Hervist in second place with 23% and Haraho with 18%.
Stubbe served as Prime Minister of Finland from 2014 to 2015, and Pekka Haavisto held several cabinet positions.
“Both men have extensive experience in both domestic and international politics, which voters seem to value most,” Wass said.
Forsberg pointed out that while Haavist and Stubbe share similar political views, they represent different backgrounds.
“Their backgrounds and values are seen as completely different, because Alex is more representative of the right wing and Harvist is more representative of the left wing,” he said.
“Even if Haavist tries to emphasize that he has no red dots and has chosen the middle path as a green man,” Forsberg added.
Forsberg said a second round of voting between the two candidates, which will take place on February 11 unless a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, could prove decisive in the election debate. Ta. —AFP