Finland’s former prime minister and conservative candidate Alexander Stubb narrowly won the first round of the Nordic nation’s presidential election on Sunday (Jan 28), and will face ex-foreign minister and liberal candidate Pekka Haavisto in a run-off next month.&nbsp;

<h2>What happened?</h2>

With all the votes counted, right-wing National Coalition Party’s Stubb took the lead with 27.2 per cent, followed by liberal Green Party candidate Haavisto with 25.8 per cent support, while Jussi Halla-aho from the far-right Finns Party came in third with 19 per cent support, according to the election officials.&nbsp;

Since none of the candidates managed to garner more than 50 per cent of the votes, a run-off between the top two will be held on February 11. According to official data, the voter turnout for the first round stood at 74.9 per cent, up from 69.9 per cent in the last presidential election in 2018.&nbsp;

“You know what, we made it to the final, but the competition will only begin now,” Stubb, 55, told his supporters.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/finland-elections-finns-head-to-polls-in-tight-presidential-race-amid-russia-tensions-684565">Finland elections: Finns head to polls in tight presidential race, amid Russia tensions</a>

“We made it to the second round. That is now clear,” Haavisto, 65, told his supporters at his election party on Sunday night. He added, “I am very happy and satisfied. We have worked hard for this.” If elected, Haavisto would become Finland’s first openly gay president.&nbsp;

The election began with an array of nine candidates to replace incumbent President Sauli Niinisto, 75, who is required to step down after serving two six-year terms.&nbsp;

<h2>High-stakes election</h2>

The high-stakes election for the Nordic nation comes at an unprecedented time, with it recently becoming a part of NATO and the closure of its eastern border with Russia, actions which would have been dismissed as an absurd thought a few years ago.&nbsp;

Unlike most European countries, the president of Finland holds executive power in formulating foreign and security policy, including acting as the supreme commander of the country’s armed forces.&nbsp;

Both Stubb and Haavisto have supported Ukraine and called for tough measures against Russia. The relations between Finland and Russia have significantly deteriorated following Moscow’s invasion of Kyiv in 2022.

The border closure and Helsinki’s NATO membership prompted Moscow to warn the Nordic nation of “counter measures”.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-president-vladimir-putin-warns-of-problems-with-finland-after-nato-membership-670665">Russian President Vladimir Putin warns of 'problems' with Finland after NATO membership</a>

Haavisto, on Thursday (Jan 25) evening during a final televised debate, stressed that Finland had to “send Russia a very clear message that this can’t go on."

Ahead of the elections, Stubb, in an interview with Reuters, said the next president would not only be the first Finnish NATO president, but also “a Western president in many ways”.&nbsp;

He also called for a leaning towards countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and the country’s other Nordic neighbours in foreign policy.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Finland’s former prime minister and conservative candidate Alexander Stubb narrowly won the first round of the Nordic nation’s presidential election on Sunday (Jan 28), and will face ex-foreign minister and liberal candidate Pekka Haavisto in a run-off next month.

Finland’s former prime minister and conservative candidate Alexander Stubb narrowly won the first round of the Nordic nation’s presidential election on Sunday (Jan 28), and will face ex-foreign minister and liberal candidate Pekka Haavisto in a run-off next month. What happened? With all the votes counted, right-wing National Coalition Party’s Stubb took the lead with 27.2 per cent, followed by liberal Green Party candidate Haavisto with 25.8 per cent support, while Jussi Halla-aho from the far-right Finns Party came in third with 19 per cent support, according to the election officials. Since none of the candidates managed to garner more than 50 per cent of the votes, a run-off between the top two will be held on February 11. According to official data, the voter turnout for the first round stood at 74.9 per cent, up from 69.9 per cent in the last presidential election in 2018. “You know what, we made it to the final, but the competition will only begin now,” Stubb, 55, told his supporters. ALSO READ | Finland elections: Finns head to polls in tight presidential race, amid Russia tensions “We made it to the second round. That is now clear,” Haavisto, 65, told his supporters at his election party on Sunday night. He added, “I am very happy and satisfied. We have worked hard for this.” If elected, Haavisto would become Finland’s first openly gay president. The election began with an array of nine candidates to replace incumbent President Sauli Niinisto, 75, who is required to step down after serving two six-year terms. High-stakes election The high-stakes election for the Nordic nation comes at an unprecedented time, with it recently becoming a part of NATO and the closure of its eastern border with Russia, actions which would have been dismissed as an absurd thought a few years ago. Unlike most European countries, the president of Finland holds executive power in formulating foreign and security policy, including acting as the supreme commander of the country’s armed forces. Both Stubb and Haavisto have supported Ukraine and called for tough measures against Russia. The relations between Finland and Russia have significantly deteriorated following Moscow’s invasion of Kyiv in 2022. The border closure and Helsinki’s NATO membership prompted Moscow to warn the Nordic nation of “counter measures”. ALSO READ | Russian President Vladimir Putin warns of 'problems' with Finland after NATO membership Haavisto, on Thursday (Jan 25) evening during a final televised debate, stressed that Finland had to “send Russia a very clear message that this can’t go on." Ahead of the elections, Stubb, in an interview with Reuters, said the next president would not only be the first Finnish NATO president, but also “a Western president in many ways”. He also called for a leaning towards countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and the country’s other Nordic neighbours in foreign policy. (With inputs from agencies)

Finland elections: Stubb and Haavisto continue to second round of presidential race

Finland&#39;s moderate President Sauli Niinisto cruised to a rare first-round election win on Sunday as his delicate balancing of ties with neighbour Russia and the US-led NATO military alliance resonated with voters.

The 69-year-old Niinisto, known for cultivating good relations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, won his second six-year term with an overwhelming 62.7 percent of the vote. His closest rival, Pekka Haavisto of the Greens of Finland, secured just 12.4 percent.

&quot;I am very surprised at this kind of support. I must think hard how to be worthy of it,&quot; Niinisto told reporters.

&quot;I have no intention of making changes just for the sake of making changes. We will follow very closely what is happening outside of Finland, globally, and if needed, then we will surely react.&quot;

Pro-EU Niinisto became the first candidate to win a first round victory since the electoral system was changed to a direct popular vote in 1994.

Eurosceptic politicians, Laura Huhtasaari from the nationalist Finns Party and independent Paavo Vayrynen, won 6.9 percent and 6.2 percent of votes, respectively. Turnout was 69.9 percent.

During his first term, Niinisto was instrumental in maintaining relations with Moscow, despite the country backing western economic sanctions against Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Finland, which shares an 833-mile (1,340 km) border and a difficult history with Russia, has also developed closer ties with NATO but stopped short of full membership in line with a tradition of avoiding confrontation with Russia.

The president is in charge of foreign and defence policy together with the government, but otherwise the post has become largely ceremonial in the past few decades.

Niinisto has appeared as a low-profile middle-man between East and West, in sharp contrast to his Baltic counterparts who regularly speak out against Moscow.

He was the first Western leader to meet Putin following the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula, and he has also actively pushed for an air safety agreement in the Baltic region.

Father of the nation

Niinisto hopes for the EU to strengthen its defence cooperation, and declines to lock in a stance on Finland&#39;s future NATO membership.

&quot;I think there is no reason to seek a (NATO) membership as long as circumstances are as they are now,&quot; Niinisto said on Sunday. &quot;But if there are crucial changes in the environment, then we might be in a different situation.&quot;

Niinisto originally belonged to the co-ruling, centre-right National Coalition Party but campaigned this time around as an independent.

&quot;When ties between European Union and Russia are tense, people are satisfied that Niinisto has been able to maintain pragmatic and functional dialogue with Russia,&quot; said Markku Jokisipila, director at the Centre for Parliamentary Studies of the University of Turku.

Apart from his long service in politics, Niinisto also taps into sympathy from many Finns because of a series of personal dramas.

A lawyer by training, he was finance minister in the 1990s, becoming known for his government&#39;s austerity measures following Finland&#39;s recession, as well as the decision to join the euro area.

He lost his first wife in a car accident in 1995. He was in Thailand during the deadly 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and survived by climbing up an electricity pole with his son.

He expects a baby with his wife Jenni Haukio, 40.

&quot;His habits reflect his experience and ordeal, and that combined with his very moderate policy statements makes him a kind of &#39;father of a nation&#39; figure,&quot; said Juho Rahkonen, Research Manager at pollster Taloustutkimus.

The result underlined how presidential candidates are to a large extent given priority over their parties, analysts said.

Matti Vanhanen, a candidate from Prime Minister Juha Sipila&#39;s Centre Party, received only 4.1 percent of votes, while the biggest opposition party Social Democrats&#39; candidate, Tuula Haatainen, won just 3.3 percent.

While around 20 percent of Finns back the idea of joining NATO, the only pro-NATO candidate, Nils Torvalds from the Swedish People&#39;s Party, won only 1.5 percent of votes.

Sauli Niinisto won his second six-year term with an overwhelming 62.7 percent of the vote

Finland's moderate President Sauli Niinisto cruised to a rare first-round election win on Sunday as his delicate balancing of ties with neighbour Russia and the US-led NATO military alliance resonated with voters. The 69-year-old Niinisto, known for cultivating good relations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, won his second six-year term with an overwhelming 62.7 percent of the vote. His closest rival, Pekka Haavisto of the Greens of Finland, secured just 12.4 percent. "I am very surprised at this kind of support. I must think hard how to be worthy of it," Niinisto told reporters. "I have no intention of making changes just for the sake of making changes. We will follow very closely what is happening outside of Finland, globally, and if needed, then we will surely react." Pro-EU Niinisto became the first candidate to win a first round victory since the electoral system was changed to a direct popular vote in 1994. Eurosceptic politicians, Laura Huhtasaari from the nationalist Finns Party and independent Paavo Vayrynen, won 6.9 percent and 6.2 percent of votes, respectively. Turnout was 69.9 percent. During his first term, Niinisto was instrumental in maintaining relations with Moscow, despite the country backing western economic sanctions against Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Finland, which shares an 833-mile (1,340 km) border and a difficult history with Russia, has also developed closer ties with NATO but stopped short of full membership in line with a tradition of avoiding confrontation with Russia. The president is in charge of foreign and defence policy together with the government, but otherwise the post has become largely ceremonial in the past few decades. Niinisto has appeared as a low-profile middle-man between East and West, in sharp contrast to his Baltic counterparts who regularly speak out against Moscow. He was the first Western leader to meet Putin following the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula, and he has also actively pushed for an air safety agreement in the Baltic region. Father of the nation Niinisto hopes for the EU to strengthen its defence cooperation, and declines to lock in a stance on Finland's future NATO membership. "I think there is no reason to seek a (NATO) membership as long as circumstances are as they are now," Niinisto said on Sunday. "But if there are crucial changes in the environment, then we might be in a different situation." Niinisto originally belonged to the co-ruling, centre-right National Coalition Party but campaigned this time around as an independent. "When ties between European Union and Russia are tense, people are satisfied that Niinisto has been able to maintain pragmatic and functional dialogue with Russia," said Markku Jokisipila, director at the Centre for Parliamentary Studies of the University of Turku. Apart from his long service in politics, Niinisto also taps into sympathy from many Finns because of a series of personal dramas. A lawyer by training, he was finance minister in the 1990s, becoming known for his government's austerity measures following Finland's recession, as well as the decision to join the euro area. He lost his first wife in a car accident in 1995. He was in Thailand during the deadly 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and survived by climbing up an electricity pole with his son. He expects a baby with his wife Jenni Haukio, 40. "His habits reflect his experience and ordeal, and that combined with his very moderate policy statements makes him a kind of 'father of a nation' figure," said Juho Rahkonen, Research Manager at pollster Taloustutkimus. The result underlined how presidential candidates are to a large extent given priority over their parties, analysts said. Matti Vanhanen, a candidate from Prime Minister Juha Sipila's Centre Party, received only 4.1 percent of votes, while the biggest opposition party Social Democrats' candidate, Tuula Haatainen, won just 3.3 percent. While around 20 percent of Finns back the idea of joining NATO, the only pro-NATO candidate, Nils Torvalds from the Swedish People's Party, won only 1.5 percent of votes.

Finns, worried by Russia, hand cautious president huge election win

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Finland elections: Stubb and Haavisto continue to second round of presidential race

Finns, worried by Russia, hand cautious president huge election win