Finland, centre-right leader Alexander Stubb elected new president
With 96.6 per cent of the vote Stubb got 51.7 per cent of the votes, while the Green and former foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto, stopped at 48.3 per cent
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Former Prime Minister and centre-right politician Alexander Stubb won the runoff in Finland's presidential elections and will succeed Sauli Niinistro. Stubb, the Finnish media reported, with 96.6 per cent of the vote getting 51.7 per cent, while the Green and former foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto, stopped at 48.3 per cent.
Finland's independent presidential candidate Pekka Haavisto congratulated Stubb before the counting was even over, acknowledging his victory.
Finland's 13th president will help guide the Nordic nation's foreign and security policy into a new era as a new NATO member. The president, during his six-year term, will in fact act as the country's top diplomat and supreme commander of its defence forces - as expressly stipulated in the Constitution - working in cooperation with the government to manage foreign relations.
Who are the candidates
Former Prime Minister Stubb, 55, entered the election as the favourite, having prevailed in the first round on 28 January and maintaining the lead in the polls during the two-week campaign. The challenger Haavisto, 65, is the outgoing foreign minister.
Both represent continuity in foreign policy, aiming to counter Russia, support Ukraine and integrate Finland into the defence alliance.
