The preliminary vote was won by Alexander Stubb, who obtained 28.3% of the votes. Stubb is a coalition party candidate and former prime minister.
In the preliminary vote, Green candidate and former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto (25.8%) and native Finnish candidate Jussi Halla-aho (16.2%) came second. He follows the candidate of the Voters’ Association and the Center Party Olli Rehn, who obtained 15.5% of the votes.
44.6% of the total voters, or 1.9 million voters, participated in the early vote.
If in the first round a candidate fails to win overwhelmingly over the others, a second round is held. In it the two candidates with the most votes will face each other. If there is a second round, it will be February 11th.
Who are the two main candidates for the presidency of Finland?
Stubb is a member of the Finnish National Coalition Party, who served as Prime Minister of Finland in 2014-2015. He began his career as a member of the European Parliament. He has held various ministerial positions: head of government and foreign minister, minister of European affairs and foreign trade and minister of finance.
In June 2017 he was elected Vice-President of the European Investment Bank and, in 2020, Director and Professor of the European University Institute.
Stubb graduated from Furman University in the United States with a degree in Political Science. He continued his studies in Belgium and eventually earned a doctorate in international politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Stubb speaks Swedish, Finnish, English, French and German. He is known as a sports enthusiast, regularly competes in marathons and triathlons and has completed Ironman triathlons.
Haavisto belongs to the Finnish Green Party and as Foreign Minister signed Finland’s application for NATO membership. He was Minister of Development Cooperation in Jyrki Katainen’s government and continued to hold the same position in Alexander Stubb’s government. He also held the positions of Minister of the Environment and Minister of International Development. Furthermore, he was a member of the Helsinki city council.
Haavisto is running for president of Finland for the third time, the previous times he had come second and lost to Sauli Niinistö.
In early 2021 Haavisto was under criminal investigation for an alleged traffic violation. The complaint began with a video recorded by a journalist from the tabloid Seiska, which claimed that Haavisto had failed to stop at two pedestrian crossings. The prosecutor decided not to press charges, citing construction work that was disrupting traffic.
Read more about the other candidates here.
Comment Read comments (20)
2024-01-28 18:48:16
alexander-stubb-won-the-preliminary-vote-of-the-first-round-of-the-finnish-presidential-election-pekka-haavisto-came-second