Pekka Haavisto, a former top diplomat, narrowly loses the Finnish presidency to Alexander Stubb, a former prime minister.

Alexander Stubb, the former Prime Minister of Finland, won the country's election runoff on Sunday against Pekka Haavisto, the ex-Foreign Minister, in a close race for the presidency. Stubb will now be responsible for guiding Finland's foreign and security policy as the country becomes a member of NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Stubb of the National Coalition Party received 51.6% of the votes, while Haavisto from the green left got 48.4% of the votes.

Stubb, a 55-year-old politician who served as prime minister from 2014 to 2015 and began his political career at the European Parliament in 2004, will become Finland's 13th president since its independence from the Russian empire in 1917.

After a projection by YLE showing a win for Stubb, Haavisto conceded defeat and congratulated him at Helsinki City Hall, where the candidates and the media were watching the results come in.

The election campaign in Finland was civil and cooperative, adhering to the tradition of Finnish politics, which emphasizes consensus-building. No negative campaigning tactics were employed by any of the candidates, as Stubb pointed out in his speech to Haavisto.

I'm proud to have run with you in these elections," Stubb said to Haavisto after the results were announced. "This has been a fair and great race, and I appreciate your sportsmanship.

In the election where over 4 million eligible voters chose a successor to President Sauli Niinistö, whose second six-year term ended in March, Stubb and Haavisto, both 65, were the main contenders.

The runoff on Sunday was necessary because none of the initial nine candidates received more than half of the votes in the January 28th first round. Stubb finished first with 27.3%, while Haavisto came in second with 25.8%.

Stubb, a former foreign, finance, and European affairs minister, was favored to win the presidency according to several polls.

During the first voting round, voter turnout was 75%, significantly higher than the initial voter turnout of 70.7%.

Unlike in most European countries, the Finnish president shares executive power with the government in formulating foreign and security policy, particularly with countries outside the European Union, such as the United States, Russia, and China.

Stubb and Haavisto largely agreed on Finland's foreign policy and security priorities during the election campaign. These include maintaining a hard line toward Moscow and Russia's current leadership, strengthening security ties with Washington, and the need to help Ukraine both militarily and at a civilian level. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with Russia.

The head of state has the authority to direct the military, which is crucial in the current European security climate and the altered geopolitical circumstances of Finland, which joined NATO in April 2023 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine a year prior.

Stubb, a staunch supporter of Kyiv, was among the first foreign dignitaries to receive "sincere congratulations" from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on his win.

In a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine and Finland, along with other partners, are working to enhance the security of the entire Europe and each nation on our continent. He expressed his anticipation of further developing our relations and our shared vision of a free, united, and well-defended Europe.

The Finnish president is predicted to maintain a distance from daily politics and mostly avoid involvement in domestic political conflicts.

In 2019-2023, Haavisto served as Finland's top diplomat and the main negotiator for its entry into NATO. He was a former conflict mediator with the United Nations and an ardent environmentalist. This was his third attempt to become Finland's president.