Victory of the "old man"

With the election of Mr. Alexander Stubb as President, for the first time in its 107-year history, Finland has had a president with a "foreign element".

The 2024 Finnish presidential election ended at 9 p.m. on February 11 in Finland when the second round of voting results were announced on television, showing that Mr. Alexander Stubb won 51.7% of the votes, while Mr. Pekka Haavisto received 48.3% of the votes.

Thus, former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb became the 13th president of Finland.

Mr. Pekka Haavisto (right) congratulated Mr. Alexander Stubb on his victory on February 11. (Photo captured from Yle)

In the first round held on January 28, none of the nine candidates won more than 50% of the votes cast by voters. Therefore, a second round between the two candidates who received the most votes in the first round was needed, Alexander Stubb (who won 27.2% of the votes) and Pekka Haavisto (25.8%).

The race for the 13th president of Finland was extremely tense and dramatic, especially in the second round. Not only the people in the country were interested and excited, but many major foreign media agencies also followed and reported with an unprecedented large number, more than 70 people. This was the first election after Finland joined NATO and the world was experiencing conflicts that had a great impact on the country's foreign policy. The President of Finland is not only the nominal head of state like some countries but also the Commander-in-Chief of the army and, together with the Prime Minister, is responsible for foreign affairs.

Opinion polls showed that Mr. Haavisto had a higher support rate than Mr. Stubb before the election. But as the election approached, the support shifted in favor of Mr. Stubb. One of the reasons for that change, according to many commentators, is that many Finns (especially men) have not yet fully accepted that their head of state is gay. Mr. Pekka Haavisto's partner is Mr. Antonio Flores (born 1978), from Ecuador.

This is the third time Mr. Pekka Haavisto has run for the Finnish presidency. The previous two times (2012 and 2018) he was the candidate of the Green Party. In 2012, he finished second in the first round with 18.8% of the votes and entered the second round with the first place winner Sauli Niinistö, but in the second round Mr. Niinistö won. In 2018, Haavisto also finished second with 12.4% of the votes, but the current President Sauli Niinistö won enough votes to continue his second term (2018-2024).

Mr. Alexander Stubb will take office for a 6-year term (2024-2030) to replace the incumbent President Sauli Niinistö, who completed his two very successful terms (2012-2024) on March 1. Mr. Alexander Stubb (55 years old) will be the fourth youngest president among the 13 heads of state of Finland so far, after the three previous leaders: 42 years old (in 1925), 51 years old (1940) and 54 years old (1919).

President-elect Alexander Stubb (center) with his wife and children in Helsinki, Finland on February 11. (Source: EPA)

Mr. Alexander Stubb was born in 1968, is a Finnish-Swedish national. He has a PhD in philosophy, has held positions such as Prime Minister of Finland, Minister of Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Europe and Foreign Trade, Member of the Finnish Parliament and the European Parliament. Since 2020, he has been Professor and Director of the School of Transnational Management of the European University Institute. He speaks five languages ​​fluently: Finnish, Swedish, English, French and German (of which Finnish and Swedish are his mother tongues).

With Alexander Stubb being elected as President, for the first time in the 107-year history of the country, Finland has had a head of state with a foreign “element”. Mr. A. Stubb’s wife, Mrs. Suzanne Innes-Stubb (born in 1970), a British lawyer, is currently the director in charge of Kone, a famous Finnish elevator manufacturer. Mrs. Suzanne Innes-Stubb also speaks 5 languages: English, French, German, Finnish and Swedish.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/bau-cu-tong-thong-phan-lan-chien-thang-cua-nguoi-cu-260736.html