In the Finnish presidential election, centre-right candidate Alexander Stubb (55) narrowly won with 51.6% of the vote. In the second round of the election, he faced Pekka Haavisto, 65, a long-time member of the Green League and an independent candidate. It was the closest election since Finland began electing its president by popular vote in 1994.
Before the election, newscasters and pundits speculated about the extent to which Pekka Haavisto’s sexual orientation would sway voters’ opinions. The speculation sparked angry debate, especially on social media. Nevertheless, an online poll conducted by the country’s leading newspaper Helsingin Sanomat concluded that 40% of Stubb voters were influenced by Haavisto’s sexual orientation in their choice of candidate. Harvist himself works with people from all walks of life around the world and stressed that his sexual orientation has never been a barrier.
As president, Mr Stubb will work with the government to take over the country’s foreign policy. He will also assume the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Forces, acting as a guide and arbiter of national values as appropriate.
Until now, this has meant maintaining relations with countries outside the EU, such as Russia, China and the United States. Given the absence of high-level relations with Russia, the president’s focus could shift to shaping Finland’s NATO policy while keeping a close eye on the Kremlin’s moves in the Nordic and Baltic regions.
After the first round, many progressive voters could be heard breathing a sigh of relief as both of the second-round candidates were liberal foreign policy veterans. Mr Stubbe completed his PhD at the London School of Economics in 1999, where his doctoral thesis focused on the integration of the European Union and the Treaty of Amsterdam. He then worked for the European Commission, headed by Romano Prodi, and also worked as a civil servant in the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 2004, Mr Stubb made headlines by winning the second-highest number of votes in the European Parliament elections. Four years later, he was appointed foreign minister because of the sexting scandal surrounding his predecessor. Since smartphones were not yet widespread at the time, the scandal involved more than an unsolicited photo, but rather an old-fashioned naughty SMS message, presumably sent to a Nokia phone.
From 2008 to 2015, Mr Stubb served as Foreign Minister, Prime Minister and finally Finance Minister. After losing leadership of the party in 2015, he became vice president of the European Investment Bank and was recently a professor at the European University Institute in Florence.
Pekka Haavisto, who came in second place, served as foreign minister in the previous center-left government led by Sanna Marin. Previously, he served twice as Minister for International Development and as EU Special Representative for Sudan and Darfur.
When it comes to foreign policy, Haavisto and Stubb have many similarities, which is not surprising given their long-standing consensus on Finnish foreign affairs. However, one difference in security policy is that Mr. Stubb wants to allow nuclear weapons in Finland. Mr. Harvist’s view is that the current law does not allow for that, and he sees no reason why it should change.
To see the real political difference, we need to look at the politicians who did not participate in this second round at all. Jussi Halaaho is the speaker of parliament and former leader of the nationally conservative Finland Party, who has built a career primarily on stirring up anti-immigrant sentiment. The party officially supports Finland’s exit from the EU.
Noura Kotilainen, a senior research fellow at the University of Helsinki, said: “Presidents are seen as the embodiment of a particular tradition, and candidates emphasize aspects such as security and solidity in their campaigns to appeal to a wide audience.” “We encourage them to emphasize this,” Kotilainen explains. .
However, Kotilainen also stressed that while politicians in the UK and other Nordic countries may raise concerns about security threats to prepare voters for budget increases, this is not the case in Finland. ing.
“Finns are already well aware of potential security threats. Finland’s military spending is consistently higher than many of its peers, and unlike most European countries, Finland has no compulsory conscription. Therefore, “politicians do not feel the need to advocate for increased military spending because it is already widely accepted by voters,” Kotilainen says.
The ongoing war in Ukraine and Russia’s hybrid wars in Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea region have placed Finland in a more tense geopolitical situation than before. As a result, Finland is also strengthening its cooperation with partners in Europe and North America.
When President-elect Stubbe takes office, he and his government will face many challenges, particularly how to tackle Russia’s hybrid warfare. This will require considerable political will and courage.