Finland’s former prime minister and conservative candidate Alexander Stubb narrowly won the first round of the Nordic country’s presidential election on Sunday (28 January), and will face his former predecessor in next month’s run-off. He will face Liberal candidate Pekka Haavisto, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
what happened?
When all the votes were counted, Stubb of the right-wing National Union party came in first place with 27.2% of support, followed by Candidate Harvist of the liberal Green Party with 25.8%, but ahead of Jussi of the far-right Finnish Party.・Mr. Haraaho came in 3rd place. According to election officials, the approval rating is 19%.
As no candidate received more than 50% of the votes, a run-off between the top two candidates will be held on February 11th. According to official data, turnout in the first round was 74.9%. That’s up from 69.9 percent in the last presidential election in 2018.
“As you know, we made it to the finals, but the competition begins now,” Stubb, 55, told supporters.
“We have advanced to the second round. It is clear now,” Mr. Haavisto, 65, told supporters at an election party on Sunday night. He added: “I’m very happy and satisfied. We’ve worked hard for this.” If Haavisto is elected, he will become Finland’s first openly gay president. Become.
The election began with nine candidates fielding to replace incumbent President Sauli Niinistö, 75, who must step down after two six-year terms.
high-stakes election
A high-stakes election for the Nordic country, which comes at an unprecedented time after recently joining NATO and closing its eastern border with Russia, would have been dismissed as a ridiculous idea a few years ago. It’s a deaf move.
Unlike most European countries, the Finnish president has executive powers to set foreign and security policy, including his role as commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces.
Both Mr. Stubbe and Mr. Harvist support Ukraine and call for tough measures against Russia. Relations between Finland and Russia deteriorated significantly following Moscow’s invasion of Kiev in 2022.
Moscow has warned Nordic countries of “countermeasures” following border closures and Helsinki’s entry into NATO.
In his final televised debate on Thursday evening, January 25, Haavisto stressed that Finland “needs to send a clear message to Russia that this cannot continue.”
Ahead of the election, Stubb said in an interview with Reuters that the next president would not only be Finland’s first NATO chair, but also “a Western president in many senses.”
He also called for a tilt in foreign policy toward countries such as the United States, Britain, and other Nordic neighbors.
(Information provided by agency)