Finland, Europe’s easternmost free democracy and new NATO member, is preparing for a crucial presidential election.
The Nordic country controls the longest border with Russia in the European Union and is one of the few EU member states to have gone to war with Russia.
Its position on Ukraine has been an outspoken and consistent opposition to Russian aggression, and it is also a major provider of weapons and training to the Ukrainian military.
Finland is also one of the most successful economies in the world. With a population of 5.5 million, its gross domestic product (GDP) is $283 billion, and its per capita income is just under $51,000, ranking it among the top 20 countries in the world.
Its remote geography, liberal democratic values, economic health, and support for Ukraine make this Nordic country a standard-bearer of Western standing and social and institutional strength on Russia’s borders.
Sunday’s presidential election could be followed by a second round on February 11, which will decide who will succeed conservative Sauli Niinisto, who served two six-year terms.
Why is the presidency important?
Although the Prime Minister of Finland runs the executive branch of the government, the President of Finland remains directly responsible for national defense and foreign policy, as specified in Articles 58 and 93 of the Constitution.
The president is the supreme commander of the military and decides on military personnel.
It is the president who attends the NATO summit and declares war and peace. In his foreign policy capacity, the president may also address the United Nations and meet with foreign leaders.
The President works with competent government ministers and Parliament to ratify Finland’s international treaties, meaning that the establishment of the Presidency is not merely ceremonial.
Its portfolio concerns issues governing Finland’s relations with the rest of the world.
Why is this particular election important?
The diplomatic and defense aspects of the president become even more important during a period of major changing of the guard.
Niinistö, who is resigning, is constitutionally barred from running for a third term, leaving Finns to elect a new head of state for the first time in 12 years. Although this is unlikely to mean major changes in foreign and defense policy, the next president will need to decide on some important issues.
Ukraine has expressed interest in adopting Finland’s aging F-18 Hornet fighter jets after the Finnish Air Force acquires new F-35s. There is ongoing debate about whether Finland can afford to let them go.
Former Prime Minister Sanna Marin came into question after suggesting that Finland could take delivery of the F-35 before it had been delivered and incorporated into the Air Force.
The presidential position will also change due to Russia’s war with Ukraine.
“Once his main task was bilateral relations with Russia, but now the position has changed because there is little left of that relationship. So the question is: how will the presidency change? . do [the president] Will he become NATO president now? And the consensus seems to be yes,” Minna Alander, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, told Al Jazeera.
Finland’s elections could also be an opportunity to see what direction European politics will take ahead of European Parliament elections scheduled to be held across the continent in June.
In last year’s parliamentary elections, Finns ousted a Social Democratic-led government that campaigned for more spending on health and education, supporting a center-right government that advocates fiscal discipline and expansion of nuclear energy.
How does this system work? Who are the top candidates?
To win outright and take office on February 1, a candidate needs to receive more than half of the valid votes cast on Sunday.
If no one reaches a majority, a runoff election will be held between the two front-runners on February 11th. The winner will take office on March 1st. Advance voting began on January 17th.
Recent opinion polls show former prime minister and centre-right National Union Party candidate Alexander Stubb leading with 24% of the vote, followed by former foreign minister and Green Party candidate Petri Haavisto with 21%. They lead a field of nine candidates representing all major political parties.
Stubb’s popularity is underlined by his large campaign fund, which is made up of donations, Stubb’s party, corporations, and foundations.
Stubbe, a political scientist and current director of the European University Institute in Florence, has been a liberal voice in the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) during his 20 years in European and national office.
As the 2018 EPP leadership candidate (Germany’s Manfred Weber) and the 2019 European Commission Presidential candidate (Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen), I am committed to gender equality and the rule of law. I supported it.
He opposed the EPP’s anti-liberalism and suggested he suspend membership in Hungary’s Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, citing its Eurosceptic stance, suppression of free media, and manipulation of the judiciary. He said the EPP was a “pro-European” party and should have a “zero tolerance” attitude towards illiberalism.
In a 2018 interview, Stubb said that he believes European values such as human rights, equality, tolerance, the rule of law and liberal democracy are “under threat from outside the union at this very moment.” , said he is running for chairman. He from within the trade unions and perhaps also from within the EPP. ”
Mr Stubbe was a member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2008, Foreign Minister from 2008 to 2011, Minister for Europe from 2011 to 2014, and Prime Minister from 2014 to 2015.
The National Coalition Party, led by Stubb, lost its position as the largest party in the April 2015 election. Mr Stubb served as finance minister until losing the party leadership to Petteri Olupo in 2016.
Why did Finland recently close its border with Russia?
As foreign minister in Marin’s cabinet in September 2022, Green party hopeful Pekka Haavisto will introduce reforms to restrict visas for Russian tourists to prevent Finland from becoming a transit country for Russians evading the draft. led.
“There is no moral or ethical basis to allow Russian tourism to continue as usual. We have frequently raised this issue within the EU,” Harvist said.
The resulting reforms have allowed Finland to close its border with Russia, which was announced late last year in order to overwhelm the refugee system in order to create a migration emergency to put pressure on the government. It turned out to be particularly popular when sending asylum seekers to the Finnish border.
“Candidates from left-wing parties also do not criticize the decision to close the borders and keep them closed,” Allander said. “There is a consensus here too. … Since the beginning of 2015-16 [refugee] In the face of the border crisis, it was realized that Finland’s border laws were flawed. ”
A November poll showed Mr. Haavisto leading Mr. Stubbe by 7 points.
He has previously contested the presidential election twice, in 2012 and 2018, losing both times to Sauli Niinistö.