Finns headed to the polls to pick a new president on Sunday to lead the country in its new role within NATO after it broke with decades of non-alignment to join the Western defence alliance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Nordic country’s admission to NATO last year drew threats of “counter measures” from its much larger neighbour. In December, Finland closed its entire border with Russia to passenger traffic in response to a surge in migrants trying to cross. Moscow denied Finnish charges it was sending the migrants there.
All nine candidates are promising a tough stance towards Russia if elected president, a role that leads on foreign and security policy in close cooperation with the government and represents the country at NATO meetings, while also acting as a Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Defence Forces.
The centre-right National Coalition’s Alexander Stubb has emerged as the frontrunner, with recent polls giving him 22-27% support in a first round, just ahead of liberal Green Party member Pekka Haavisto, who polled at 20-23%.
The nationalist Finns Party’s Jussi Halla-aho is not far behind Haavisto, at 15-18%.
Nearly 45% of eligible voters, or 1.9 million Finns, had voted in advance ahead of Sunday, the justice ministry’s data showed, and partial results consisting of advance votes are expected as soon as polls close after 1800 GMT.
In Helsinki one advance voter, 26-year-old Leena Boksha, said it was particularly important to vote this time because of the war in Ukraine and the difficult situation created by it.
She said Stubb, seen by Finns as a cosmopolitan pro-European, was the right person to head the country’s foreign policy at this time.
“I voted Alexander Stubb because I think he’s very good at dealing with other countries and he has a good relationship with people outside Finland,” said Boksha, who was out with her baby to accompany a friend to vote on Sunday.
Jere Markkinen, a 22-year-old student in mechanical engineering, took a different view.
“I don’t think he (Stubb) would be a very good president because he doesn’t seem like he wants to represent the people, he wants to represent himself,” Markkinen said, adding he had voted for Haavisto in advance.
“He is experienced in foreign politics and is known for generally acting smart, unlike some other candidates.”
Bank of Finland Governor Olli Rehn and Social Democrat European Union Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen are among the other six candidates from across the political spectrum.
If no one gets more than 50% of the votes cast on Sunday, a runoff will be held between the first and second candidates on Feb. 11.
Competitors for the probable second round should be clear by 2030 GMT unless the results are very close.
The new president will replace 75-year-old incumbent Sauli Niinisto who is required to step down after two six-year terms in office.
He earned the nickname “the Putin Whisperer” during his tenure for his role in maintaining close ties with Russia, which had long been a key role for Finnish presidents.
(Reuters)