Center-right candidate Alexander Stubb defeated Green-leftist Pekka Haavisto in Sunday’s run-off for Finland’s presidential election, according to provisional results.
advertisementAccording to Finnish public broadcaster YLE, former Prime Minister Alexander Stubbe is expected to defeat former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto in Sunday’s presidential election.
YLE predicts that Mr. Stubbe, from the conservative National Union Party, will win the Finnish president with 51.4% of the vote, while Mr. Haavisto, from the green left, will receive 48.6%.
The YLE forecast, which has been highly accurate in past elections, is a mathematical model calculated based on advance voting and a certain number of Sunday votes, based on official data provided by the Legal Registration Center. Exit polls are not normally used in Finland.
The winner’s main task will be to guide the new NATO member’s foreign and security policy in the midst of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Mr. Stubb and Mr. Haavisto largely agree on Finland’s foreign policy and security priorities. These include maintaining a hard line on Russia, which shares a vast 1,340-kilometre border with Finland, strengthening security ties with Washington, and supporting Ukraine.
Unlike most European countries, the Finnish president has executive power to set foreign and security policy.
They cooperate with governments, especially regarding countries outside the European Union, such as the United States, Russia, and China.
Heads of state also command military forces, which is particularly important in the current security environment in Europe and the changing geopolitical situation of Finland, which joined NATO in April 2023.
Mr. Stubb received 27.2% of the votes in the first round of voting on January 28, beating out eight other candidates to take the top spot.
Mr Stubb led the government from 2014 to 2015 and previously held several other cabinet positions.
Haavisto, the runner-up in the first round, was Finland’s top diplomat from 2019 to 2023 and the main negotiator for NATO membership. Haavisto, a former United Nations conflict mediator and avid environmental activist, received 25.8% of the votes in the first round.
A runoff election was necessary because no candidate received a majority of votes in the first round of voting on January 28th.
More than 4 million people were eligible to vote. The winner will succeed highly popular President Sauli Niinistö, whose second six-year term expires in March.
Niinistö is not eligible for re-election.