Election Watch
Finland
President of Finland Alexander Stubb speaks during the lecture on the new world disorder at the Taras Shevchenko University in Kyiv, Ukraine on April 3, 2024.
(Photo by VESA MOILANEN/LEHTIKUVA/Sipa USA)
April 08, 2024
Voters in Finland will choose their new president on Sunday. The president controls military and security policy – a significant position since Finland joined NATO last year in response to its neighbor Russia invading Ukraine.
The candidates: The front-runner is center-right candidate Alexander Stubb. Stubb, who is viewed as a pro-European globalist, previously served as prime minister and foreign minister and as a member of the European Parliament. He is running against center-left Pekka Haavisto, a Green League member and former United Nations diplomat, who would be the country’s first openly gay president if elected.
During their campaigns, both candidates veered toward the political middle and were vocal supporters of Ukraine and of closing the border with Russia after Finland observed an influx of migrants entering through its eastern border without visas in 2023.
Where things stand: Stubb narrowly won the first round of voting in January and is leading Haavisto by at least 6 points in the polls. The results are expected to come in shortly after polls close on Sunday.
More For You
- YouTube
In this episode of GZERO Europe, Carl Bildt considers what the collapse of the joint French-German-Spanish fighter aircraft project means for European defense.
Most Popular
Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.
- YouTube
In this episode of GZERO Europe, Carl Bildt reflects on how Russia's war in Ukraine has lasted longer than World War I and the role an underachieving military campaign and international politics have played in putting pressure on Putin.
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde speaks to reporters following the Governing Council's meeting, in Frankfurt, Germany June 11, 2026.
REUTERS/Heiko Becker
The ECB raised interest rates for the first time since 2023, becoming the first G7 central bank to act against inflation driven by the war in Iran. With the Bank of Japan poised to follow suit, pressure mounts on the US Federal Reserve to respond.
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.