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Pekka Haavisto and Alexander Stubb will most likely compete against each other again for the office of president
Photo: Markku Ulander / AFP
The decision on Finland's future head of state is likely to be made in a runoff election between former head of government Alexander Stubb and ex-Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto. In the first round of the presidential election in the Nordic EU and NATO country on Sunday, after the early votes were counted after the polls closed, none of the nine candidates achieved an absolute majority.
At that time, the conservative Stubb received 28.3 percent of the vote, the green ex-minister Haavisto 25.8 percent. The two strongest pursuers, Parliament Speaker Jussi Halla-aho and the former EU Currency Commissioner Olli Rehn, were well behind with around 16 percent each. If it stays that way, there will be a runoff election between Stubb and Haavisto on February 11th. A preliminary final result should be known during Sunday evening.
Looking for a successor for Niinistö
The vote is looking for a successor to President Sauli Niinistö, who was not allowed to run again after two six-year terms in office. Under his leadership and under the impression of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Finland decided in 2022 to apply for membership in NATO after decades of military non-alignment. In April 2023, the EU's northernmost country became the 31st member of the defense alliance. For the Finns, whose country borders Russia for 1,340 kilometers, this represented a major turning point.
In Finland, the president is directly elected by the people for a six-year term. One of its most important tasks is to decide on foreign and security policy together with the government, to appoint the government and to approve laws.
ktz/dpa