Finland’s Alexander Stubb elected as president of Nato’s newest member
- Run-off between former prime minister Alexander Stubb and ex-foreign minister Pekka Haavisto was tight
- Stubb has task of steering Nordic country’s foreign and security policy now that it is a member of Nato
Finland has elected Alexander Stubb as the president of the newest member of the Nato defence bloc after voters had to choose between two seasoned diplomats to keep neighbouring Russia at bay.
Stubb will become the Nordic country’s 13th president March 1, following in the footsteps of Sauli Niinisto as head of state – a role where the central focus has traditionally been to safeguard independence and peace in Finland that’s flanked by a belligerent giant to its east.
He won 51.6 per cent of the vote in a run-off on Sunday against rival Pekka Haavisto. The election was the tightest since 2000, when Tarja Halonen became Finland’s first female president.
The 55-year-old former prime minister represents continuity in foreign and security policy, with a focus on supporting Ukraine and integrating Finland into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which it joined in April.
The president will, over his six-year term, act as the country’s top diplomat and supreme commander for its defence forces, working in cooperation with the government to manage foreign relations. Domestically, the president’s powers are limited.