Former conservative Prime Minister Alexander Stubb and former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, an independent in the Green Party, will compete for the presidency in the second round of the Finnish presidential elections, which will be held on February 11.
Stubb came first in the first round this Sunday with 27.2% of the votes, ahead of Haavisto (25.8%), according to the count of 99% of the scrutiny of an appointment with the polls marked by the concerns about national security and tensions with Russia.
The far-right candidate of the Finnish Party, Jussi Halla-aho, who was speculated to be able to surprise, was left with 19% of the votes that separates him from the presidential race.
Equipped with more limited powers than the prime minister, the Finnish president directs foreign policy in close cooperation with the government and is the supreme commander of the armed forces.
“Whichever candidate I face in the second round, I know that we will have a constructive, civilized and quality debate on difficult foreign policy issues,” responded Alexander Stubb on the public channel Yle after this result. Haavisto, for his part, estimated that “the differences will become clearer as the campaign progresses.”
Finland, which remained neutral during the Cold War, became NATO’s 31st member last year, much to the dismay of Russia, with which it shares a 1,340-kilometer border.
Relations between Finland and Russia have deteriorated significantly since February 2022 and the Russian offensive in Ukraine. After its neighbor joined NATO in April 2023, Moscow promised “countermeasures.” Finland has notably faced an influx of migrants on its eastern border.
Helsinki accused Moscow of orchestrating a migrant crisis on its doorstep and closed its border with Russia in November, a move supported by all candidates.
“Russia, and in particular Vladimir Putin, uses human beings as a weapon,” said Alexander Stubb on Thursday afternoon during the latest televised debate. “In this case, we must put Finland’s security first,” he added.
For Pekka Haavisto, Helsinki had to “send a clear message that this cannot continue,” he declared during the same debate.
Finland, a member of the EU and the eurozone, prioritized developing economic relations with its large neighbor after the Cold War, hoping that this would translate into democratic development.
