Updated February 12, 2024 09:40 IST
Former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb comfortably won the presidential election run-off against former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto.
Former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb wins Finland’s presidential election | Image:AP/File
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Former Prime Minister Alexander Stubbe won a comfortable victory in the presidential election run-off against former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, becoming Finland’s next president for the first time in seven years.
Mr. Stubbe will take over the task of leading Scandinavia’s foreign and security policy after it becomes a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). As widely claimed, the former National Conservative Party leader’s rise to the presidency was prompted by the Russia-Ukraine war.
As a result of all the votes counted on Sunday, Mr Stubb of the National Union Party received 51.6% of the vote, while the independent candidate from the Green Left, Mr Haavisto, received 48.4%. Officials claimed that the initial turnout was 70.7 percent.
Mr Stubb, who began his political career as a member of the European Parliament in 2004, won 27.2% of the votes in the first round of voting on January 28, beating Mr Haavist’s 25.8%. I won. He also leads Harvist in the poll, with a 6-8 point lead in recent years.
Notably, the changing of the guard marks a new era in Finland, where elected presidents have long strengthened their diplomacy.