Public broadcaster Yle predicts that Alexander Stubb and Pekka Haavisto will meet in the second round on February 11.
Center-right candidate Alexander Stubb of Finland's National Coalition Party appeared on track to win the first round of the country's presidential election on Sunday and will likely face liberal Green Party member Pekka Haavisto in a runoff.
With 96 percent of the votes counted, Stubb was leading with 27.1 percent support, Justice Ministry data showed, followed by Haavisto with 25.7 percent and nationalist Jussi Halla-aho in third. place with 19.0 percent support.
Public broadcaster Yle predicts that Stubb and Haavisto will meet in the second round, scheduled for February 11.
Finland is electing a new president to lead the country in its new role within NATO after breaking with decades of non-alignment to join the Western defense alliance following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
“I think the Finns are looking for a new-age president,” Stubb, a former prime minister, told public broadcaster Yle.
Haavisto, who was foreign minister until last year, said he hoped to advance to the second round.
“This is a splendid first round result and a very big gap to those behind us, so I think we will go through to the second round with Alexander Stubb,” he told Yle.
War in Ukraine
The role of the President of Finland involves taking leadership in foreign and security policy in close cooperation with the government, representing the country at NATO meetings and also acting as commander-in-chief of the Finnish Defense Forces.
All three leading candidates support Ukraine and have called for tough measures against Russia.
During their electoral campaigns, both Stubb and Haavisto oriented themselves towards the political center, while Halla-aho maintained his right-wing conservative profile.
For many Finns, the nationalist Halla-aho is a divisive figure who attracts both loyal supporters and staunch opponents.
In Helsinki, an early voter, Leena Boksha, 26, told the Reuters news agency that it was particularly important to vote in the election because of the war in Ukraine and the difficult situation created by it.
Boksha said Stubb, seen by Finns as a cosmopolitan pro-European, was the right person to head the country's foreign policy at this time.
“I voted for Alexander Stubb because I think he is very good at dealing with other countries and has a good relationship with people outside of Finland,” said Boksha, who came out with her baby to accompany a friend to vote on Sunday.
Jere Markkinen, a 22-year-old mechanical engineering student, has a different opinion.
“I don't think he [Stubb] “He would be a very good president because it doesn't seem like he wants to represent the people, he wants to represent himself,” Markkinen told Reuters, adding that he had voted for Haavisto beforehand.
“He has experience in foreign policy and is known for generally acting intelligently, unlike other candidates.”
Finland's admission to NATO last year also sparked threats of “countermeasures” from Russia, its much larger neighbor.
In December, Finland closed its entire border with Russia to passenger traffic in response to a surge in migrants attempting to cross. Moscow denied Finnish accusations that it was sending migrants there.
The new Finnish president will replace the current president Sauli Niinisto, 75, who must resign after two six-year terms.
He earned the nickname “Putin Whisperer” during his tenure for his role in maintaining close ties with Russia, which had long been a key role for Finnish presidents.
