Candidates' identities in the "two-horse" race in round 2

After the first round of voting on January 28, Finnish voters found two candidates to participate in the second round of presidential election of this Nordic country.

Bầu cử tổng thống Phần Lan: Danh tính ứng viên trong cuộc đua 'song mã' ở vòng 2. AP

Former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb (right) and former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto are the two candidates participating in the second round of the Finnish presidential election. (Source: AP)

Former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb of the ruling center-right National Coalition party and former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, a member of the Green Party, have won the right to enter the second round of the presidential election in Finland, the AP news agency reported.

According to election officials, with all votes counted, Mr. Stubb won 27.2% of the total vote, while candidate Haavisto won 25.8% of the vote.

According to statistics, the Finnish voter turnout in this election was 71.5%. It is expected that the two candidates will participate in the second round on February 11.

Speaking on national television channel Yle , Mr. Stubb declared: “No matter who I face in the second round of the election, we will have a good, civilized and constructive debate on difficult foreign policy issues.”

Mr. Stubb served as Prime Minister of Finland between 2014 and 2015, while Mr. Haavisto also held several cabinet ministerial positions.

In Finland, the president is the head of state, the supreme commander of the armed forces, and coordinates foreign policy with the government .

The volatile geopolitical landscape in Europe is said to be the main concern of the winner of this year's Finnish presidential election.

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