HELSINKI (AP) – Finnish voters were electing a new president Sunday in unprecedented timing for the Nordic country. NATO member countries its east side and border with Russia closed — Two things that were almost unthinkable a few years ago.
Polling stations nationwide will open at 9 a.m. (7 p.m. Japan time) and close at 8 p.m. (18 p.m. Japan time).
Unlike most European countries, the president Finland It has executive power in formulating foreign and security policy, especially when dealing with countries outside the European Union such as the United States, Russia, and China.
The President also serves as the Supreme Commander of the Finnish Armed Forces, a particularly important task in the current European security environment.
Approximately 4.5 million people are eligible to vote for Finland’s new head of state from among nine candidates, six men and three women.They are choosing a successor to a very popular product President Sauli Niinistö‘s second six-year term expires in March. He is not eligible for re-election.
“I look forward to strong leadership in the current world situation,” said Iv Kinnunen, who voted at a polling station in the center of the capital, Helsinki.
Any candidate is expected to receive more than 50% of the vote Sunday’s first votepushing the race to a February runoff.
According to recent opinion polls, the former prime minister alexander stubbe55 years old, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Pekka Harvist65 years old is a strong candidate.
Stubbe, who represents the conservative National Union party and led Finland’s government from 2014 to 2015, and Haavisto, a veteran politician and former UN diplomat who is running for the third time, each received between 23% and 27% of the vote. It is estimated that it will be acquired. Number of votes.
This is followed by Jussi Halaaho, speaker of parliament and former leader of the far-right Finland Party, with about 18%. Olli Rehn, governor of the Bank of Finland and former EU commissioner, is expected to receive around 14% of the vote.
Finland’s new head of state will begin his six-year term in March in a significantly different geopolitical and security situation in Europe than that of incumbent Niinistö after the 2018 election.
Finland became NATO’s 31st member state in April, abandoning decades of military non-alignment following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Russia shares a 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with Northern Europe. This greatly angered President Vladimir Putin. nation.
Finland’s entry into NATO, which has made it the Western military alliance’s frontline state against Russia, and the escalating war in Ukraine, just 1,000 kilometers from Finland’s border, have elevated the president’s status as a leader in security policy.
In line with Finnish politics, where consensus tends to be reached, months of campaigning has been going well among the candidates. The two countries agree on key foreign policy issues, including Finland’s future policy toward Russia, strengthened security cooperation with the United States, and the need to continue supporting Ukraine both militarily and with humanitarian assistance.
Joining the military alliance “also means that NATO should have a new Arctic region, because if both Finland and Sweden join, NATO will be stronger in the Arctic region,” Pekka Haavisto said. told The Associated Press during a final campaign event at a music bar. Late Saturday, outside Helsinki.
Foreign Minister Haavisto, a member of the Green League and running as an independent, signed Finland’s historic NATO accession treaty last year and played a key role in the accession process.
Western neighbor Sweden is expected to join NATO in the near future, and Hungary, the last holdout, is expected to ratify the Stockholm offer by the end of February.
Pre-voting results will be confirmed immediately after voting closes, and the first results from Sunday’s vote are expected to be announced by around midnight (22:00 GMT). The results of the first round will be officially announced on Tuesday.
A second round of voting between the two candidates who received the most votes is scheduled for February 11th.
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Associated Press writers Kostya Manenkov and Sergei Grits contributed.