With more than 4 million people eligible to vote, today, Finns choose the next President of Finland who will lead on the country's foreign and security policy in its new role within NATO after it broke decades of non-alignment to join the Western defence alliance in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While both candidates are pro-European and strong supporters of Ukraine, maintaining a tough stance towards Russia in their campaigns, both have differing opinions on the role of the military with Haavisto calling for a more cautious approach.
Candidates - Centre-right candidate Alexander Stubb of the National Coalition Party (EPP) is currently narrowly leading ahead of Green Party member Pekka Haavisto in the polls. Stubb, known as a pro-European cosmopolitan, who previously served as prime minister and foreign minister and as a member of the European Parliament has ran a very dynamic campaign, gathering support amongst many young voters in particular. His opponent, Haavisto, is a former United Nations diplomat and has run for president twice before, in 2012 and 2018, both times finishing second behind retiring President Sauli Niinisto. The latest poll by Yle found that Haavisto is catching up with Stubb but still trails him 46-54%.
The President - the Finnish President is head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. They are directly responsible for foreign policy, in cooperation with the government and will be responsible for representing Finland at NATO summits and in meetings with international leaders. For the rest of Europe and indeed for Finland, this will be a crucial change in the country’s direction.
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