On Sunday, the people of Finland went to vote for their president. After a closely contested election, Alexander Stubb, former Prime Minister from the center-right National Coalition Party, narrowly defeated Pekka Haavisto, a member of the liberal Green Party.
According to Reuters, Stubb, who used to be the prime minister, announced that he had emerged victorious in the run-off election with 51.6% of the votes, compared to Haavisto’s 48.4%. This declaration was made after 99.7% of the ballots had been counted.
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Stubb, being in favor of European unity, has firmly shown his support for Ukraine while adopting a rigid stance towards Russia.
Presidential candidates in Finland are vying to influence the country’s foreign and security policies that pertain to Russia.
Stubb expressed a sense of peace and modesty, while also feeling incredibly joyful and appreciative of the fact that a significant number of Finns voted for him and he has been given the opportunity to serve as the president of Finland.
As expected, Stubb emerged as the winner in the initial round with 27.2% of the votes, leading Finland into a second round of the presidential election.
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Stubb is characterized as a liberal conservative, in contrast to Haavisto, who has environmentalist beliefs leaning towards the center-left. However, both candidates held similar positions on matters of foreign policy, such as dealing with Russia and providing assistance to Ukraine.
On Sunday, Haavisto extended his congratulations to his opponent and referred to Stubbs as the “13th president of Finland.”
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He expressed his belief that Finland has chosen a capable president for their republic. According to him, Alexander Stubb is a highly experienced and competent individual suitable for the role. He hopes that there will be no more pointless talk.
After years of electing presidents who prioritized fostering diplomacy with Russia and refrained from engaging in military alliances to ease tensions between NATO and Russia, Finland enters a new era with the election results.
Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, which ultimately led Ukraine to alter its position and become a member of NATO by April 2023.
Stubb is taking over from Sauli Niinisto, who is retiring after serving two consecutive six-year terms.
Niinisto earned the nickname “the Putin Whisperer” due to his strong bond with the Russian president.
