Finland has a second round of presidential elections
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Finland, according to the preliminary results of the presidential elections held in the country on Sunday, is waiting for the second round of voting.
None of the nine candidates received more than 50% of the votes necessary for victory already in the first round. The candidate from the center-right “Coalition Party”, former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, is leading by votes, with more than 27%. Among the other candidates, Pekka Haavisto, a member of the “Green Party”, ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs, has the highest chances of reaching the second round (almost 26%).
The second round of presidential elections is scheduled for February 11. Now the post of president is held by the popular politician Saula Nyinistyo. He has led the country since 2012 and – according to the Constitution – no longer has the right to be re-elected.
Finland is a parliamentary republic in which the powers of the president are limited. At the same time, the head of state is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and, together with the government, determines the country’s foreign policy.
Against the background of growing tension in relations with neighboring Russia due to the war in Ukraine, the importance of the presidential office in Finland has increased. Shortly after the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian army in Ukraine, Finland, along with Sweden, submitted an application to join NATO and became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in April last year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called Helsinki’s rejection of the traditional policy of neutrality and joining NATO a mistake, assuring that there are no security threats to Finland. Putin also said that a change in foreign policy could “negatively affect” bilateral relations, RBC reminds.
On January 11, Finland extended the regime of closing its land border with Russia for another month due to the risk of a new influx of migrants. Helsinki accuses Moscow of provoking citizens of third countries to cross the border and creating threats to national security. Moscow denies this.
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