Finland on its way to a second election for president Ukraine stuns Russian soldiers with ‘drone queen’

The decision on Finland’s future head of state will likely be made in a second election between former government leader Alexander Stubb and ex-Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto. In the first round of presidential elections in the Nordic EU and NATO country on Sunday, all nine candidates fell far short of an absolute majority after the majority of votes were counted. This means that a second election will likely take place on February 11 between the two main candidates – Stubb and Haavisto.

In an extrapolation by the Finnish radio station Yle, the conservative Stubb received 27.3 percent in the evening after counting almost 83 percent of the votes, and the green ex-minister Haavisto 25.8 percent. The two strongest pursuers, right-wing populist parliament speaker Jussi Halla-aho and ex-EU currency commissioner Olli Rehn, lagged well behind with 18.6 and 15.3 percent respectively. A preliminary final result should be known later in the evening.

A successor is being sought for President Sauli Niinistö, who was not allowed to run again after two six-year terms. Under his leadership and impressed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland decided to apply for NATO membership in 2022, after decades of military non-alignment. In April 2023, the EU’s northernmost country became the 31st member of the defense alliance. For the Finns, whose country borders Russia for 1,340 kilometers, this marked an important turning point.

In Finland, the president is directly elected by the people for a six-year term. One of the most important tasks is deciding on foreign and security policy together with the government, appointing the government and approving laws. (sda/dpa)