After a very close duel, Alexander Stubb, 55, representative of the right-wing Coalition in power in Finland, was elected president of the country this evening, with 51.7% of the votes. This former Prime Minister, who pursued a European career, succeeds the very popular outgoing President Sauli Niinisto, who will be remembered for having made the historic decision to bring Finland into NATO.
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With our regional correspondent, Carlotta Morteo
Polyglot, liberal, Alexander Stubb was briefly Prime Minister, several times minister and worked at the European Investment Bank. If he defines himself as a “ realistic optimistic », Alexander Stubb comes to power in a context of historic tensions with Russia, with whom the Finland shares 1,340 km of border. And he promised to maintain a hard line towards his big neighbor: Alexander Stubb will not maintain any communication with Vladimir Putin or open any political dialogue, as long as the war in Ukraine continues. He was very clear on that.
On the other hand, he will be the main interlocutor of the United States, with whom Finland recently signed an important bilateral defense agreement, but also of China and the NATO Council. If he is not responsible for the European portfolio, the new Finnish president will be the main interlocutor of the United States – with whom Finland recently signed an important bilateral defense agreement – but also of China. He will also represent his country at the UN and within the NATO Council.
Moreover, its main responsibility will be to precisely define the terms of Finnish engagement within the Atlantic Alliance for the years to come. The heart of the presidential mandate in Finland is national defense. Unlike his opponent, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pekka HaavistoAlexander Stubb said he was in favor not only of the permanent deployment of allied forces on his soil, but also of the transit of nuclear weapons, if necessary: “ sometimes a nuclear weapon is a guarantee of peace “, he declared during the last televised debate.