Conservative Stubb Wins Finnish Election

Alexander Stubb from the conservative National Coalition Party declared victory in the Finnish presidential election after approximately 94 percent of the votes were counted. Early results showed Stubb leading with 52.7 percent of the advance votes, according to Justice Ministry data. The 55-year-old former prime minister, finance minister, and foreign minister, who speaks both Finnish and Swedish, is set to replace outgoing President Sauli Niinistö. His rival, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, a Green Party member running as an independent, acknowledged defeat early on, receiving 47.3 percent of the votes after half of the advance votes were counted. Stubb, a strong NATO supporter, has pushed for a clear stance on Russia during his campaign, stating there will be no political relations with Russia until they end the war in Ukraine. He has not supported the permanent stationing of nuclear weapons in Finland, but is open to NATO forces on a permanent basis.