HELSINKI — Former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb won Finland’s election overflow Sunday versus ex-Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto in a close race for the presidency and the job of steering the Nordic nation’s foreign and security policy now that it is a member of NATO, following Russia’s intrusion of Ukraine.
With all votes counted, center-right prospect Stubb of the National Coalition Party had 51.6% of the votes, while independent prospect Haavisto from the green left got 48.4% of the votes.
The 55-year-old Stubb, who was prime minister in 2014-2015 and began his political profession as a legislator at the European Parliament in 2004, will endupbeing the 13th president of Finland giventhat the Nordic nation’s self-reliance from the Russian empire in 1917.
Haavisto yielded defeat after a forecast by the Finnish public broadcaster YLE proving a win for Stubb was launched Sunday night. He shook Stubb’s hand and praised him at Helsinki City Hall, where the prospects and the media were seeing the results come in.
The months’ long election project was courteous and non-confrontational in line with consensus-driven Finnish politics with no below-the-belt attacks from any of the prospects – something that Stubb keptinmind in his speech to Haavisto.
“This hasactually been a reasonable, excellent race,” Stubb informed Haavisto after the outcome was clear. “I’m proud that I haveactually been able to run with you in these elections. Thanks for a excellent race.”
Stubb and Haavisto, 65, were the primary competitors in the election where over 4 million eligib