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

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.

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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.

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“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”.

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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)