Finns Cast Their Votes for Presidential Election

In an important political event, citizens of Finland took to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president who will guide the country through key foreign and security policies now that it has become a NATO member, in the wake of Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.

Vying for the prestigious position are two seasoned politicians, the center-right politician Alexander Stubb, 55, who served as the country’s prime minister, and the green-left advocate Pekka Haavisto, 65, who served as Finland’s foreign minister. Notably, both candidates share similar views on matters such as adopting a firm stance against Moscow, fortifying security relationships with the U.S., and supporting Ukraine both militarily and civilly. Given Finland’s extensive 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with Russia, these policies carry significant weight.

Finland assigns substantial authority to its president over foreign and security engagements, especially with non-EU states such as the United States, Russia, and China, differing from most European nations.

Bearing the mantle of military commander-in-chief, the president’s role is increasingly pertinent in light of the altered European security landscape and Finland’s entry into NATO in April 2023 following Russia’s assault on Ukraine.

Stubb, a figure from the conservative National Coalition Party and former prime minister during 2014-2015 with various cabinet roles in his portfolio, emerged as the frontrunner with 27.2% of votes in the initial round and stands as the favorite for the presidency.

Former U.N. conflict mediator and ardent environmentalist Haavisto, has garnered the support of 25.8% of voters in the first round, marking his third presidential attempt. He campaigns as an independent despite past relations with the Green League.

In the final campaign stretch, subtle differences have arisen, particularly in their views on the movement of NATO’s nuclear weapons across Finnish territory. Stubb indicates acceptance of the notion without explicit limits in the NATO agreement but echoes Haavisto’s sentiment that Finland has no desire for nuclear armaments. Haavisto explicitly opposes the transport of nuclear arms across Finland.

Haavisto shared his views on this topic: “I think there hasn’t been any need to transport nuclear weapons to Finland or over Finland. As I’ve seen during NATO negotiations, the current nuclear policies of NATO are well-established and there is no need of changing them,” he stated.

In November, the Finnish government, under Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, closed its eight border points with Russia, citing concerns of “hybrid warfare.” This move has the backing of both presidential candidates.

Neither contender secured more than half of the votes in the initial round on Jan. 28, necessitating a second round.

With over four million eligible voters, the next president will be taking over from the highly respected President Sauli Niinistö, concluding his maximum term in March.

The president of Finland is expected to stay out of regular political squabbles and keep a distance from daily political activities.

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Kostya Manenkov and Sergei Grits in Helsinki contributed to this report.