HELSINKI — Former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb narrowly wins a run-off election to become Finland’s next president amid concerns about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The president will be responsible for steering security policy, including the integration of new members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into the alliance.
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. This role has become important since Finland joined NATO in April 2023 in the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine a 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 out that Finland’s wartime military reservist strength was 280,000 men, but this figure was 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,” Stubb said, referring to the current state of the country’s defense forces.
“We’re going to play a role within the alliance (NATO). The public trusts us and they know we’re serious about our defense for pretty obvious reasons. I’m an active-duty “Would I be commander-in-chief? Yes, I would,” he said.
As in other parts of Europe, questions remain in Finland over the future of the United States’ involvement in NATO. Doubts about former President Donald Trump appeared to be reignited over the weekend as the front-runner for the Republican nomination ramped up foreign aid and a long-running offensive. Enduring 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 has had a serious impact on the people of Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometre border 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.