Finland will hold a presidential election on January 28.
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| A photo of National Coalition presidential candidate Alexander Stubb is displayed in his campaign cafe in Helsinki, Finland, January 11. (Source: Reuters) |
On January 18, the latest opinion poll results in Finland showed that presidential candidate Alexander Stubb is leading in the support rate, widening the gap with progressive Green Party member Pekka Haavisto.
The winning candidate will succeed President Sauli Niinisto after two terms and lead Finland into a new era after the Nordic country joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in April 2022.
The results of a poll conducted from January 12-17 by the Maaseudun Tulevaisuus newspaper showed that 24% of respondents supported candidate Stubb, a former Prime Minister and member of the ruling National Coalition party, while 21% supported candidate Haavisto, a former Foreign Minister.
Stubb’s approval rating increased by 1 percentage point from a month earlier, while Haavisto’s approval rating decreased by 2 percentage points. In November 2022, Haavisto still led Stubb by more than 7 percentage points.
Meanwhile, support for far-right candidate Jussi Halla-aho of the Finnish Party rose 3 percentage points to 15%, putting him in third place in the latest poll. Halla-aho is popular among young Finns.
Other candidates include former European Union (EU) Economic Commissioner and Bank of Finland Governor Olli Rehn, who came fourth in the poll with 12% support, while EU Commissioner for International Cooperation Jutta Urpilainen came next with 7% support.
The President is commander-in-chief of the Finnish defense forces, represents the country at NATO meetings and leads foreign policy together with the government.
After the January 28 vote, if no candidate wins with more than 50% of the votes, a second round of voting will take place on February 11.
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