Ex-PM Alexander Stubb wins Finnish presidency, narrowly defeating former top diplomat Pekka Haavisto

By JARI TANNER
Associated Press

HELSINKI (AP) — Ex-Prime Minister Alexander Stubb has narrowly won Finland’s presidential election runoff on Sunday against former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto. As head of state, Stubb’s main task will be to steer the Nordic country’s foreign and security policy now that it is a member of NATO, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. With over 99% of votes counted, Stubb, who is on the center right, had received 51.6% of the votes, while Haavisto, an independent candidate from the green left, got 48.4%. The 55-year-old Stubb, who was prime minister in 2014-2015, will become the 13th president of Finland since the Nordic country’s independence from the Russian empire in 1917.