Story: Presidential election voting begins in Finland Shooting time: January 28, 2024 / Previous footage date: January 28, 2024 Length: 00:01:33 Location: Helsinki Category: Politics Shotlist: 1. Various types of voting stations 2. Various posters of candidates (previous footage) Storyline: The Finnish presidential election opened on Sunday with voting stations opening at 9am local time (7am GMT). Finns are scheduled to vote until 8pm (6pm Japan time) to elect their president for a six-year term. Nine candidates are vying to succeed incumbent Sauli Niinisto. After serving two terms as president, he has not run for office. According to the Finnish constitution, the president can only be elected for two consecutive terms. If no candidate receives a majority of votes in the first round, a second round will be held between the top two candidates on February 11th. The National Coalition’s presidential candidate, former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, and the independent Green Party candidate, former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, are the frontrunners in opinion polls. Mr Stubb has been leading in opinion polls since November, but in recent weeks the popularity of Jussi Halaaho, the Finnish Party candidate and speaker of the Finnish Parliament, has increased. Results will be available around 10pm local time (2000 GMT) on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Justice, which oversees preparations for the election. National broadcaster Yell is expected to announce the prognosis sooner. Xinhua correspondent reports from Helsinki (XHTV)