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A former Finnish prime minister will face the foreign minister who took the Nordic country into Nato in a run-off election in two weeks to decide who becomes president of the military alliance’s newest member.
Ex- premier Alex Stubb confirmed his status as favourite to succeed Sauli Niinistö as Finland’s president, polling 27 per cent in the first round with more than four-fifths of the votes counted.
In the second round of polling on February 11, he will meet Pekka Haavisto, Finland’s foreign minister until June, who took 26 per cent.
Finland’s president takes the lead on foreign policy issues outside the EU — including relations with Russia, with which it shares a 1,340km border — as well as acting as commander-in-chief of its formidable armed forces, among the largest in Europe once reservists are included.
After decades of neutrality and then military non-alignment, Finland decided swiftly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 to become the 31st member of Nato.
“Both candidates are supporters of liberal democracy and agree on the fundamentals of Finland’s foreign and security policy. The differences are rather in style and emphasis as Stubb is a strong trans-Atlanticist favouring the EU and Nato, and Haavisto on the other hand is known for peace-mediation, environmental activism and UN-related duties,” said Henri Vanhanen, research fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.
Stubb, speaking to the Financial Times before Sunday’s first round, said if in the run-off he were to face Haavisto — who he called “a good candidate” — he would continue to run a “positive campaign” with his own vision and agenda.
“People will make their decision on who has the most experience, expertise, and networks in international fora, including the capacity to speak languages. They will look at who is the most suitable commander-in-chief in a situation where a decision on war and peace could have to be made. And they will decide whose values are they closest to,” he said.
Haavisto, in a separate interview, also said voters would decide based on “personalities” and “experience”, underscoring how he had helped steer Finland into Nato in the fastest ever accession process the military alliance has seen.
Finland is well known for keeping up its guard against Russia and ensuring a high level of preparedness throughout society. It has been tested in recent months by Russia sending undocumented migrants over the border and concerns a Chinese-registered vessel damaged a gas pipeline and data cable between Russia and Finland.
With the new head of state taking office on March 1, Vanhanen said: “Finland has stepped into a new era since 2022 and the country is electing a president who has to be resilient and crisis-proof. A troublesome Russia and the war in Ukraine as well as defining Finland’s Nato membership will be top of the agenda.”
In the first round of voting, Jussi Halla-aho, the ex-leader of the populist Finns party, came in third place with 19 per cent while Olli Rehn, the central bank governor and a former EU commissioner, had 15 per cent of votes.