Newly-Minted NATO Member Finland Elects President

Voters in Finland were electing a new president Sunday at an unprecedented time for the Nordic nation that is now a NATO member with its eastern border with Russia closed — two things almost unthinkable a few years ago.

Recent polls suggest that former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, 55, and ex-Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, 65, are the leading contenders. I Photo: Alexander Stubb Facebook

Polls across the country opened at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT or 3 p.m. in Manila) and closed at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT or 2 a.m. Monday, Jan. 29 in Manila).

Unlike in most European countries, the president of Finland holds executive power in formulating foreign and security policy, particularly when dealing with countries outside the European Union (EU) like the US, Russia, and China.

The president also acts as the supreme commander of the Finnish military, a particularly important duty in Europe’s current security environment. Some 4.5 million citizens are eligible to vote for Finland’s new head of state from an array of nine candidates — six men and three women.

They are picking a successor to hugely popular President Sauli Niinistö, whose second six-year term expires in March. He is not eligible for re-election.

No candidate is expected to get more than 50% of the vote in Sunday’s first round of voting, pushing the race into a runoff in February. Recent polls suggest that former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, 55, and ex-Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, 65, are the leading contenders.

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