Finland will hold a run-off election in February between the former prime minister, who is expected to have the advantage, and the former foreign minister, who was in charge of recent NATO accession negotiations.
HELSINKI–Finland is torn between its former prime minister, who is expected to win, and its former foreign minister, who was in charge of recent North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) accession negotiations and came in runner-up in Sunday’s first vote, in February. Going to the final election.
All votes have been counted, and former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, who led the government from 2014 to 2015 and was the representative of the conservative National Union Party, won the first round of voting with 27.2% of the vote, as expected by most opinion polls. won.
Pekka Haavisto, a former foreign minister and environmental politician who served as Finland’s top diplomat from 2019 to 2023, won 25.8%.
Unlike most European countries, the Finnish president has executive power to set foreign and security policy. The president also commands the military, which is particularly important in the current European security environment. The head of state has little involvement in domestic politics.
Mr. Stubb is described as a liberal conservative, and Mr. Haavisto, an environmental activist, advocates a center-left perspective, but both have mixed opinions on Finland’s current foreign policy issues, such as support for neighboring Russia and war-torn Ukraine. We have almost the same opinion.
Finnish media reported on Monday that Stubb is the clear front-runner for the presidential race in the February 11 run-off. He is likely to win votes from supporters of parliament speaker and far-right politician Jussi Halaaho, who finished third on Sunday with 19% of the vote.
The main themes of the election included Finland’s membership in NATO, future policy toward Russia, increased security cooperation with the United States, and the need to continue supporting Ukraine with military and humanitarian aid.
The initial turnout was 74.9% of the approximately 4.5 million voters.
Popular President Sauli Niinistö expects his second six-year term to expire in March. He is not eligible for re-election.
Mr Stubb, 55, has held several senior cabinet positions, including foreign minister, finance minister and foreign trade minister. He started his political career as a member of the European Parliament in 2004 and has a special interest in European Union issues.
Haavisto, 65, is known first and foremost as an environmental activist. He previously worked as a United Nations diplomat as a conflict negotiator with a particular focus on Africa.
Finland’s new president will face a significantly different geopolitical and security situation in Europe. It became the 31st member of NATO in April, abandoning decades of military non-alignment following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, much to the annoyance of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia has a 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with the Nordic country.
Finland’s membership in NATO has placed it at the forefront of the Western military alliance, and the country’s president has become a leader in security policy in the region.