It was with a narrow majority, 51.6 percent, that Alexander Stubb took home the title of President of Finland on Sunday evening.
Stubb becomes the country’s thirteenth president and thus the country’s main representative abroad. He will also have influence over security policy.
– His main task will be to lead Finland in NATO. His main challenge will be managing the icy relationship with neighboring Russia, says SVT’s foreign reporter Ida Linde.
Accused Russia of hybrid war
The Finnish government has previously accused Russia of waging a hybrid war against Finland. All border crossings to the country have also been closed. At the same time, Russia is building new military bases.
Joining NATO has further strained the relationship.
– It is worse than it has been in a very long time and it is an absolute top priority for the Finnish president to maintain a stable relationship with Russia and not to commit any abuses, says Ida Linde.