Finnish voters likely to face run-off in presidential race

DEREK SCALLY in Berlin

FINNS HEADED to the polls to elect a new president yesterday, after a campaign dominated by concerns about euro zone crisis and looming austerity measures.

After serving two terms the highly popular Tarja Halonen, Finland’s first woman head of state, is likely to hand over the reigns to Sauli Niinistö, a conservative former finance minister.

But falling support for his candidacy in recent days left it unlikely Mr Niinisto would win an absolute majority among the 4.4 million Finns eligible to vote yesterday. Instead he is likely to face a run-off in two weeks’ time, most likely against Green Party candidate Pekka Haavisto, Finland’s first openly gay presidential hopeful.

Mr Niinistö (63) is a former justice and finance minister and presided over Finland’s economy after its banking crisis in the 1990s, and was finance minister for Finland’s entry to the euro.

A member of Finland’s senior coalition partner, the conservative National Coalition Party, Mr Niinistö’s campaign has been a vigorous defence of Finland’s continued membership of the euro zone.

That is anything but a given in Finland these days, given sharp differences between the ruling conservatives and their Social Democrat coalition partners over future bailout contributions, austerity measures and EU budgetary rules.

Spicing up the campaign was the candidacy of populist True Finns leader Timo Soini. His party won 19 per cent in last April’s general election, but Mr Soini is unlikely to do as well this time around with polls giving him less than 10 per cent support.

Critics say voters are tiring of his anti-euro rhetoric. Mr Soini says the low support shows voters want him to remain active in daily politics. Either way, his mere presence in the campaign has further polarised Finland’s increasingly divisive European debate.

With just 0.4 per cent growth forecast for 2012, Finland’s economic outlook – and its role in the euro zone rescue efforts – remains central to the political discussion.

Finland is one of the few AAA-rated countries left in the currency bloc, increasing fears among Finns about their bailout burden in straitened economic times.

Ms Halonen hands her successor a far less powerful and largely ceremonial position following the removal of key foreign policy competences. Nevertheless Mr Niinistö said during his campaign that, in line with a majority of Finnish public opinion, he would not, as president, push for Finland to join Nato.

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