The candidate from the Coalition Party, Alexander Stubb, won the second round of presidential elections in Finland.
On March 1, Alexander Stubb will officially become the president of Finland.
Stubb’s stance on Russia and NATO
Mr Stubb said he wants to “see Finland in the core of NATO” as it faces an unpredictable Russia, with its aggressive rhetoric towards the West, on its border.
“We are a security provider, not a security consumer. We have no limits to our Nato membership. We have one of the strongest defences in Europe and we are a security asset in NATO. We want to be in the core of decision-making, sit around the tables where decisions are made.”
Alexander Stubb, newly-elected President of Finland
The most tense election in Finland
Former Prime Minister and candidate of the center-right Coalition Party, Alexander Stubb, and former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto competed in the second round of the presidential election.
Alexander Stubb received 51.6% of the vote, while Pekka Haavisto received 48.4%.
On January 28, Finland held its first presidential election since joining the North Atlantic Alliance. The candidate of the Coalition Party, Alexander Stubb, and Pekka Haavisto made it to the second round.
The second round was the most tense in history. In terms of the number of votes, the gap between the main opponents was less than 99,000.
Stubb declared his strong support for Ukraine
Answering questions from international media in the context of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and the tensions between Moscow and the EU and NATO, Alexander Stubb noted that Finland’s strong support for Ukraine will continue.
The politician also noted that security is an existential issue for Finland. Stubb called NATO the strongest defense alliance in the world and added that he considers Finland a strong member of the Alliance and Finland’s membership an asset to NATO.
Alexander Stubb’s career
Alexander Stubb was the Prime Minister of Finland in 2014–2015, and before that, he served as Minister of Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Europe and Foreign Trade.
Stubb was also a member of the Finnish and European Parliaments.
He has previously stated that he does not agree that Ukraine should give up at least part of its territory for peace with Russia.
Alexander Stubb also supports Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and has promised to actively contribute to this process.
