HELSINKI (AP) – Finnish voters were electing a new president Sunday at an unprecedented time for the Nordic country, whose eastern border with Russia is closed and is now a NATO member. These two things were almost unthinkable a few years ago.
Polling stations nationwide will open at 9 a.m. (7 p.m. Japan time) and close at 8 p.m. (18 p.m. Japan time).
Unlike most European countries, the Finnish president has executive power in shaping foreign and security policy, especially when dealing with countries outside the European Union such as the United States, Russia, and China.
Approximately 4.5 million people are eligible to vote for Finland's new head of state from among nine candidates, six men and three women. They are choosing a successor to hugely popular President Sauli Niinistö, whose second six-year term expires in March. He is not eligible for re-election.
All candidates are expected to receive more than 50% of the votes in the first round of voting on Sunday, and the campaign will move to a run-off in February.
Recent opinion polls suggest that former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, 55, and former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, 65, are likely candidates.
Stubbe, who represents the conservative National Union party and led Finland's government from 2014 to 2015, and Haavisto, a veteran politician and former UN diplomat who is running for the third time, each received between 23% and 27% of the vote. It is estimated that it will be acquired. Number of votes.
Finland's new head of state will begin his six-year term in March in a significantly different geopolitical and security situation in Europe than that of incumbent Niinistö after the 2018 election.
Finland became NATO's 31st member state in April, abandoning decades of military non-alignment following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but Russia shares a 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with Northern Europe. This greatly angered President Vladimir Putin. nation.
Finland's membership in NATO, which has made it the Western military alliance's front-line state against Russia, and the escalating war in Ukraine, just 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from Finland's border, have elevated the president's position as a leader in security policy. Ta.
Pre-voting results will be confirmed immediately after voting closes, and the first results from Sunday's vote are expected to be announced by around midnight (22:00 GMT). The results of the first round will be officially announced on Tuesday.
A second round of voting between the two candidates who received the most votes is scheduled for February 11th.
