Mr Stubbe entered politics as a member of the European Parliament in 2004 after attending school in Finland, then the US, Belgium and the UK. He enjoyed great success in Finland in his 2008 year, when, to his own surprise, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Although he has been praised by allies for his energetic approach to politics, he has also come under fire for sometimes hasty statements during his time in power, and was accused of using abusive language at a meeting of the Nordic Council, a regional cooperation group. and was forced to apologize.
Although he had a difficult year as prime minister in 2014, he was unable to reverse the NCP’s decline in popularity and lost the parliamentary elections in 2015 amid an economic recession. He then served as finance minister before quitting Finnish politics in 2017, vowing never to return.
During the five-month presidential campaign, Mr. Stubb won support from voters by appearing calmer and more thoughtful in debates than he had been accustomed to, and by taking pains to show respect for his rivals, observers said. It is said that he acquired it.
“No matter what happens in this election, it will be good for Finland,” he said in a debate with Haavisto early last week.
Mr Stubb says he intends to be a unifying force in Finnish society, following a series of racism scandals involving government ministers and recent strikes over working conditions and wages that have paralyzed public services. I think that’s what this country needs.