Alexander Stubb of the center-right wins the closely contested Finnish presidential election

HELSINKI: On Sunday, Alexander Stubb, a member of the center-right National Coalition Party, defeated liberal Pekka Haavisto of the Green Party, who surrendered the race.
Stubb is a fervent admirer of Ukraine, which has adopted a firm posture against Russia, and is pro-European.

Based on statistics from the justice ministry, he proclaimed himself the victor of the run-off vote with 51.6% of the total votes as 99.7% of the votes were tallied, compared to 48.4% for Haavisto.
The next head of state of Finland will be in charge of diplomatic and security affairs, particularly the country’s newly adopted NATO membership policy toward its long-border neighbor, Russia.
During his live speech, Stubb referred to his triumph as “the greatest honour” of his life.
“The feeling is calm, humble but of course at the same time I am extremely happy and grateful that the Finns in such large numbers have voted and that I get to serve as president of the Republic of Finland,” he said.
The first round was won on January 28 by former prime minister Stubb, who received 27.2% of the vote over Haavisto’s 25.8%. In opinion polls, he has also outperformed Haavisto, most recently by 6–8% percentage points.
Praise for Stubb as “the 13th president of Finland” came from Haavisto.
“I think the country of Finland has a terrific president currently. Alexander Stubb is a qualified and seasoned candidate for the position. “Enough babbling,” he said.
With this vote, Finland enters a new era. For decades, its presidents have been chosen to promote diplomacy, especially with neighboring Russia, and to avoid joining military alliances in an effort to defuse tensions between Moscow and NATO.
However, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Finns quickly reversed their positions, and as a result, they joined NATO in April of last year.
Stubb, now protected by the security bulwark of the Western alliance, will succeed Sauli Niinisto, who is stepping down after two six-year administrations, during which he gained the moniker “the Putin Whisperer” for his prior intimate relationships with the Russian president.
As commander-in-chief of the armed forces and primary figure in the formulation of Finland’s NATO policies, Stubb will also closely collaborate with the government to spearhead the country’s broader foreign and security strategy.
“My sincere congrats to Alexander Stubb. Finland is our close friend and partner,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on X. The primary challenge facing the next president will be Russia, according to 36-year-old IT worker Lauri, who cast his ballot in Helsinki.
“Obviously, with Russia and the current turmoil in the globe, we are all aware of how terrible our situation is. Thus, in my opinion, it is our greatest problem and danger “he told Reuters on Saturday.
Stubb said that Finland’s foreign policy will not now include a Russian pillar in an interview with Reuters last month:
“Politically, there will be no relations with the president of Russia or with the Russian political leadership until they stop the war in Ukraine.”
Stubb is in favor of close NATO collaboration, which includes stationing some NATO forces in Finland on a permanent basis and permitting the transit of nuclear weapons via Finnish territory. However, he opposes keeping nuclear weapons in Finland.
In a Tuesday discussion, Stubb said, “A nuclear weapon is a guarantee of peace at times.”
In reaction to Finland’s membership in NATO and a defense cooperation pact struck with the US in December, Russia has warned Finland with reprisal.