Center-right candidate Alexander Stubb, of the National Coalition Party of Finland, came first in the first round of the presidential election on Sunday, January 28, with 28.3% of the votes collected, according to initial data provided by the Ministry of Justice when the polling stations close.
Liberal Pekka Haavisto, a member of the Green Party, came in second with 25.8% of the vote, followed by Jussi Halla-aho, a member of the Finnish Nationalist Party, with 16.1% of the vote, according to data collected after the count. of 61.3% of the ballots.
If no candidate obtains more than 50% of the votes in Sunday's election, a second round will be organized on February 11 between the two leading candidates.
Finland elects a new president to lead its foreign and security policy in its new role within NATO, after breaking from decades of non-alignment to join the alliance in response to Ukraine's invasion of Ukraine. Russia.
Also read: Closure of the Finnish border: “The Russian propaganda machine wants to create anxiety”
"It's much more than I dared to hope for, I'm very happy and grateful," Alexander Stubb, former prime minister, told public broadcaster Yle.
Pekka Haavisto, who served as foreign minister until last year, said he expected to advance to the second round.
The Finnish president leads foreign and security policy in close collaboration with the government and represents the country at NATO meetings, while acting as commander-in-chief of the Finnish defense forces.
All three leading candidates are supporters of Ukraine and have called for tough measures against Russia.
Finland's admission to NATO last year sparked threats of "countermeasures" from Russia, with which the country closed its border to people crossing in December in response to the the influx of migrants trying to cross it.
With AFP
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