HELSINKI (AP) – Former Prime Minister Alexander Stabb won by a narrow margin. won the final vote He will become Finland’s next president and will be responsible for steering security policy, including integrating new NATO members into the alliance amid concerns about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to the final count of Sunday’s run-off, Stubb of the center-right National Union party won 51.6% of the vote, while Pekka Haavisto, an independent candidate from the Green Left and a former foreign minister, won 48.4%. The two were the top vote-getters in the second election. Haavisto served as Finland’s top diplomat from 2019 to 2023.
Stubb will replace the hugely popular President Sauli Niinisto, whose second six-year term expires next month and is not eligible for re-election.
In the first round of voting on January 28, none of the original nine candidates received a majority of votes, necessitating a runoff election. In keeping with the tradition of Finnish consensus-driven politics, there were no unofficial attacks during the campaign, but Mr. Stubb visited Mr. Haavisto’s campaign. A party event was held late Sunday after the results were known.
“You’re one of the nicest people I’ve ever met,” Stubb told his opponent Haavisto at a party event, according to Finnish broadcaster YLE.
The president is an important political post in this Nordic country of 5.6 million people. Unlike most European countries, the Finnish president has executive powers, working with the government to formulate foreign and security policy.
But he is also expected to distance himself from day-to-day political strife and stay out of domestic political disputes, while acting as the country’s moral leader.
The head of state also commands the military – the second most important role after Finland Joins NATO in April 2023 In the aftermath of Russia’s attack on Ukraine one year ago. Finnish media noted on Monday that Russia’s aggression has put Europe’s security at greater risk than at any time since World War II.
At a press conference in Helsinki, Stubb was asked by the Associated Press to assess the current state of the Finnish military and whether he intended to become a hands-on commander.
“We have one of the most powerful militaries in Europe,” Mr. Stubb replied. He pointed to Finland’s wartime reservist strength of 280,000 men, a figure augmented by around 900,000 men and women who received military training through conscription.
“When the Cold War ended, Finland did not reduce its military; quite the contrary,” Stubbe said of the modern state of the country’s defense forces.
“We’re going to play a role in the Alliance (NATO). People trust us and they know we’re serious about defense for pretty obvious reasons. I’m the best on active duty. “Can I become a commander? Yes, I intend to,” he said.
In Finland, as elsewhere in Europe, questions remain over the future involvement of the United States in NATO. President Donald Trump appears to be on fire again. The front-runner for the Republican nomination stepped up his attacks over the weekend on foreign aid and longstanding international alliances.
The Finnish newspaper Irta Sanomat said in an editorial: “Mr Stubb will be a president in difficult times, and perhaps even in wartime.”
Mr Stubb, 55, who served as Prime Minister from 2014 to 2015 and began his political career as a member of the European Parliament in 2004, is Finland’s 13th president since independence from the Russian Empire in 1917. Become.
Mr Stubb later served as finance minister for a short time before retiring from Finnish politics completely in 2017. He previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of European Affairs and Foreign Trade. He holds a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and has been working as a professor at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy since 2020.
Stubb said Finland’s priorities during the election period include maintaining a tough stance against Russia and its current leadership, strengthening security ties with the United States, and the need to support Ukraine on both military and civilian levels. He said it includes things like gender.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was one of the first foreign dignitaries to send his “heartfelt congratulations” to Mr Stubb. The war in Ukraine had a profound impact on the Finnish people, who share commonalities. 1,340 kilometers (832 miles) of border Together with Russia.
“Ukraine and Finland, in solidarity with other partners, are strengthening the security of all Europe and the countries of the continent,” President Zelenskiy said in a message to X (formerly Twitter). I look forward to developing our bilateral relations and developing our common vision of a free, united and well-defended Europe. ”
Voter turnout in the runoff election was reported at 70.7%, compared to 75% in the first round.