A man casts his ballot at a polling station during a presidential election in Espoo, Finland, on Feb. 11. Voters in Finland are choosing Sunday between two experienced politicians to be their next president.Sergei Grits/The Associated Press
Former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb won Finland’s election runoff Sunday against ex-Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto in a close race for the presidency and the task of steering the Nordic country’s foreign and security policy now that it is a member of NATO, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
With all votes counted, centre-right candidate Mr. Stubb of the National Coalition Party had 51.6 per cent of the votes, while independent candidate Mr. Haavisto from the green left got 48.4 per cent of the votes.
The 55-year-old Mr. Stubb, who was prime minister in 2014-2015 and started his political career as a lawmaker at the European Parliament in 2004, will become the 13th president of Finland since the Nordic country’s independence from the Russian empire in 1917.
Mr. Haavisto conceded defeat after a projection by the Finnish public broadcaster YLE showing a win for Mr. Stubb was released Sunday night. He shook Mr. Stubb’s hand and congratulated him at Helsinki City Hall, where the candidates and the media were watching the results come in.
The months’ long election campaign was polite and non-confrontational, in line with consensus-driven Finnish politics, with no below-the-belt attacks from any of the candidates – something that Mr. Stubb noted in his speech to Mr. Haavisto.
“This has been a fair, great race,” Mr. Stubb told Mr. Haavisto after the result was clear. “I’m proud that I have been able to run with you in these elections. Thanks for a good race.”
Mr. Stubb and Mr. Haavisto, 65, were the main contenders in the election where over 4 million eligible voters picked a successor to hugely popular President Sauli Niinist, whose second six-year term expires in March. He wasn’t eligible for re-election.
Sunday’s runoff was required because none of the original nine candidates got more than half of the votes in the Jan. 28 first round. Mr. Stubb emerged at the top with 27.3 per cent, with Mr. Haavisto the runner-up with 25.8 per cent.
Several polls indicated Mr. Stubb, who has also served as Finland’s foreign, finance and European affairs minister, was the favourite to win the presidency.
Initial voter turnout was 70.7 per cent, markedly lower than during the first voting round when it was 75 per cent.
Unlike in most European countries, the president of Finland holds executive power in formulating foreign and security policy together with the government, especially concerning countries outside the European Union such as the United States, Russia and China.
During the election campaign, Mr. Stubb and Mr. Haavisto largely agreed on Finland’s foreign policy and security priorities. These include maintaining a hard line toward Moscow and Russia’s current leadership, strengthening security ties with Washington, and the need to help Ukraine both militarily and at a civilian level. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia.
The head of state also commands the military – particularly important in Europe’s current security environment and the changed geopolitical situation of Finland, which joined NATO in April, 2023, in the aftermath of Russia’s attack on Ukraine a year earlier.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was among the first foreign dignitaries to send “sincere congratulations” to Mr. Stubb, a staunch supporter of Kyiv, on his win.
Mr. Zelensky said in message on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “Ukraine and Finland, in solidarity with other partners, are strengthening the security of the entire Europe and each nation on our continent. I look forward to advancing our relations and our shared vision of a free, united, and well-defended Europe.”
The Finnish president is expected to remain above the fray of day-to-day politics and largely to stay out of domestic political disputes.
Mr. Haavisto was Finland’s top diplomat in 2019-2023 and the main negotiator of its entry into NATO. A former conflict mediator with the United Nations and a passionate environmentalist, this was his third bid for the presidency.