In Finland, a new president will be elected on Sunday to lead the country as it takes on a new role within NATO. This decision comes after decades of non-alignment, as Finland recently joined the Western defence alliance in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
When Finland was admitted to NATO last year, it faced threats of “counter measures” from its large Russian neighbor. In December, in response to a surge in migrants attempting to cross, Finland closed its entire border with Russia to passenger traffic. Moscow denied allegations that it was sending the migrants there.
All nine candidates are promising a tough stance towards Russia if elected president. This position holds authority over foreign and security policy, working closely with the government, and represents the country at NATO meetings. The president also serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Defence Forces.
The center-right National Coalition’s Alexander Stubb is the frontrunner, with recent polls showing him with 22-27% support in the 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%. Other candidates include Bank of Finland Governor Olli Rehn and Social Democrat European Union Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen.
If no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes, a runoff will be held between the top two candidates. Partial results are expected shortly after polls close at 1800 GMT, and the competitors for the likely second round should be clear by 2030 GMT, unless the results are very close.
The incoming president will succeed 75-year-old incumbent Sauli Niinisto. Niinisto is required to step down after serving two six-year terms. He earned the moniker “the Putin Whisperer” during his tenure for his efforts to maintain close ties with Russia, a key role for Finnish presidents.
(Reporting by Anne Kauranen in Helsinki, editing by Terje Solsvik in Oslo and Philippa Fletcher)
