| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Presidential elections were held in Finland on 28 January 2018. [1] The incumbent Sauli Niinistö received 62.7% of the vote and was elected for a second term, avoiding a second round. [2] The term will be from 1 March 2018 to 1 March 2024. Although the President is elected by direct election, Niinistö gained a plurality in all municipalities and a majority in all but 13 municipalities. [3] The next most popular candidate and Niinistö's most popular competitor in the previous elections in 2012, Pekka Haavisto, received 12.4% of the vote.
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland is a country in Northern Europe bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Norway to the north, Sweden to the northwest, and Russia to the east. Finland is a Nordic country and is situated in the geographical region of Fennoscandia. The capital and largest city is Helsinki. Other major cities are Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Oulu and Turku.
Sauli Väinämö Niinistö is a Finnish politician and the 12th President of Finland, in office since 2012.
The two-round system is a voting method used to elect a single winner, where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate. However, if no candidate receives the required number of votes, then those candidates having less than a certain proportion of the votes, or all but the two candidates receiving the most votes, are eliminated, and a second round of voting is held.
Candidate name and age, political party | Political office(s) | Campaign logo | Details | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tuula Haatainen (57) Social Democrats | Minister for Education (2003–2005) Minister for Social Affairs and Health (2005–2007) MP for Helsinki (1996–2007, since 2015) | Haatainen was Minister for Education in the short-lived Jäätteenmäki Cabinet and retained her post in the subsequent Vanhanen I Cabinet. After that she was Minister for Social Affairs and Health from 2005 to 2007. | |||
Pekka Haavisto (59) Greens | Minister for International Development (2013–2014) Minister of the Environment and Development (1995–1999) Chairman of the Green League (1993–1995) MP for Helsinki (1987–1995, since 2007) | Haavisto ran in the 2012 presidential election and reached the second round of voting, but lost to Sauli Niinistö of the National Coalition Party. Prior to the campaign he had been an MP since 2007, and had worked for the United Nations from 1999 to 2005. | |||
Laura Huhtasaari (38) Finns | MP for Satakunta (since 2015) | Huhtasaari was elected to the Parliament in 2015 with 9,259 votes, and was elected vice chair of the Finns Party in June 2017. In the Parliament, she also has been member of the Legal Affairs Committee, the Education and Culture Committee and the Finnish Delegation to the Nordic Council. | |||
Merja Kyllönen (41) Left Alliance | Minister of Transport (2011–2014) MP for Oulu (2007–2014) MEP for Finland (since 2014) | Kyllönen served as Minister of Transport in the Katainen Cabinet from 2011 to 2014. She ran for the European Parliament in 2014 and was elected. | |||
Sauli Niinistö (69) Independent | President of the Republic of Finland (since 2012) Speaker of the Parliament (2007–2011) Minister of Finance (1996–2003) Minister of Justice (1995–1996) Other offices
| The incumbent President of Finland ran as a member of the National Coalition Party in 2012 after narrowly losing in 2006. For 2018 he decided to run as an Independent to "test his support" among the public. He gathered 156,000 signatures and his candidacy was confirmed on 25 September. | |||
Nils Torvalds (72) Swedish People's | MEP for Finland (since 2012) | Former member of the Communist Party of Finland, Torvalds worked at the Swedish-speaking department of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) from 1982 to 2004. He joined the Swedish People's Party of Finland in 2006 and was elected its third vice chairman in 2007. He ran for European Parliament in 2009 and wasn't elected, but he acceded to the position in 2012 after Carl Haglund resigned. | |||
Matti Vanhanen (62) Centre | Prime Minister of Finland (2003–2010) Minister of Defence (2003) | Former Prime Minister ran in 2006 and got 18,6% of the vote. He left politics after his tenure as Prime Minister, but returned in 2015 when he was re-elected as an MP. | |||
Paavo Väyrynen (71) Independent | MEP for Finland (1995–2007, since 2014) Minister for Foreign Trade and International Development (2007–2011) Minister for Foreign Affairs (1977–1982, 1983–1987, 1991–1993) Other offices
| Veteran politician Väyrynen has run for President as a Centre Party candidate three times; in 1988, 1994, and 2012. He quit the Centre Party in 2016 and founded his own Citizens' Party. | |||
The incumbent President Sauli Niinistö was elected as the candidate of the National Coalition Party in the 2012 election. He was eligible for re-election and his decision for running again was closely followed throughout the latter half of his first term. [4] On 29 May 2017, Niinistö announced that he would seek support for his candidacy as an independent candidate outside party politics. To become an official candidate, Niinistö needed 20,000 signatures from his supporters. [5] Niinistö eventually gathered 156,000 signatures and his candidacy was confirmed on 25 September. [6]
The National Coalition Party is a centre-right political party in Finland considered to be liberal, conservative, and liberal-conservative. Founded in 1918, the National Coalition Party is one of the three largest parties in Finland, along with the Social Democratic Party and the Centre Party. The current party chair is Petteri Orpo, elected on 11 June 2016. The party self-statedly bases its politics on "freedom, responsibility and democracy, equal opportunities, education, supportiveness, tolerance and caring" and supports multiculturalism and gay rights. It is pro-NATO and pro-European as well as a member of the European People's Party (EPP).
Soon after Niinistö's announcement, the leader of the National Coalition Party Petteri Orpo tweeted that Niinistö has the party's full support. [7]
Antti Petteri Orpo is a Finnish politician, chair of the National Coalition Party and the incumbent Minister of Finance. Previously he served as the Minister for Agriculture and Forestry 2014–2015 and Minister of Interior 2015–2016.
Twitter is an American online news and social networking service on which users post and interact with messages known as "tweets". Tweets were originally restricted to 140 characters, but on November 7, 2017, this limit was doubled for all languages except Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Registered users can post, like, and retweet tweets, but unregistered users can only read them. Users access Twitter through its website interface, through Short Message Service (SMS) or its mobile-device application software ("app"). Twitter, Inc. is based in San Francisco, California, and has more than 25 offices around the world.
The Centre Party decided on 30 November 2015 that the party would choose their presidential candidate already in June 2016. [8] Soon after, former Prime Minister and Centre Party's presidential candidate in 2006 election, Matti Vanhanen, announced that he would run for candidacy. [9] [10] Prime Minister Juha Sipilä declined his interest early on. [8] Other prominent names in speculations for the candidacy were the former Prime Ministers Esko Aho and Anneli Jäätteenmäki, and former Minister of Economic Affairs Olli Rehn. [11] [12] Rehn declined the possibility stating that it wouldn't be possible to combine his duties as cabinet minister with campaigning. [13] Aho did not comment his interest in candidacy, but it was considered unlikely for him to seek presidential nomination, as he was a candidate for the Supervisory Board of Sberbank at the time. [14] Jäätteenmäki, an incumbent Vice President of the European Parliament, said running for President was "not on her agenda". [15]
The Centre Party of Finland is a centrist, liberal, agrarian political party in Finland.
Matti Taneli Vanhanen is a Finnish politician who was Prime Minister of Finland from 2003 to 2010. He was also Chairman of the Centre Party, and in the second half of 2006 he was President of the European Council. In his earlier career he was a journalist. Vanhanen is the son of professor Tatu Vanhanen and Anni Tiihonen.
Juha Petri Sipilä is a Finnish politician who has served as Prime Minister of Finland since 2015. A relative newcomer to politics, he has a successful background in business. He has been the leader of the Centre Party since 9 June 2012. After leading the Centre party to victory in the 2015 general election, Sipilä formed a centre-right coalition and was appointed Prime Minister by the Finnish Parliament on 29 May 2015. On 8 March 2019, Sipilä stated his intention to resign as Prime Minister, citing difficulties in reforming Finland's health care system. President Sauli Niinistö has asked him to continue with a caretaker government until a parliamentary election can be held on April 14.
As no challengers appeared till the deadline of 11 May, Vanhanen was the sole candidate in June's party congress and was confirmed as the Centre Party's candidate in the presidential election. [16] [17] Vanhanen has said that his candidacy is motivated by the support he felt he had around the country during his last campaign and the will to improve the security situation in the areas surrounding Finland. [18]
The Finns Party is likely to confirm their candidate in summer 2017. [19] The leader of the Finns Party Timo Soini announced early on in November 2014 that he would not seek candidacy in the 2018 presidential election, after getting 3,43 % and 9,4 % of votes in 2006 and 2012 presidential elections respectively. [20] He reaffirmed his decision in April 2016, encouraging party to move on and inviting new faces to enter party's primaries. [21] As Soini had been a strong face for the Finns Party, his decision sparked much speculation on the party's decision, as party's presidential candidate was expected to also follow Soini as the chairman. [22]
The Finns Party, formerly known in English as the True Finns, is a Finnish conservative political party, founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party.
Timo Juhani Soini is a Finnish politician who is the co-founder and former leader of the Finns Party. He served as Deputy Prime Minister of Finland from 2015 to 2017 and has been Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2015.
In March 2017, Soini announced that he would not seek another term as the leader of the party. Soon after, the chairman of the parliamentary group Sampo Terho announced that he would seek chairmanship and, if elected, also presidential candidacy. [23] Member of the European Parliament Jussi Halla-aho, Minister of Defence Jussi Niinistö and Speaker of the Parliament Maria Lohela did also express their interest in candidacy, while Minister of Justice and Labor Jari Lindström declined early on. [22] [24] However, only Halla-aho decided to also seek chairmanship in the leadership election. [25]
Choosing the presidential candidate for the party was on the agenda for party congress in June 2017. However, after Jussi Halla-aho won the leadership election, the decision was postponed by Halla-aho's request. [26] A few days after the leadership election, twenty Finns Party MPs, including all cabinet ministers, defected to form a new parliamentary group under the name New Alternative. [27] After the split, most of the potential presidential candidates had left the party. However, the newly elected vice-chairman Laura Huhtasaari and MP Tom Packalén announced that they were thinking about the candidacy. [28] [29]
On 4 August 2017, Halla-aho announced that the board of the Finns Party had chosen Huhtasaari as the presidential candidate of the party, [30] and her candidacy was confirmed by the party council on 23 September.
On 19 June 2017, Sampo Terho announced that a new party would be formed based on the New Alternative parliamentary group under the name Blue Reform. [31] The vice-chair of the Blue Reform parliamentary group Tiina Elovaara stated initially that the group was likely to have their own presidential candidate. [28] However, as the party was formed after the previous parliamentary election and thus has no elected MPs, it would have required to gather a sufficient amount of signatures to set an own candidate. [32] Thus, ultimately, the party decided not to put forth their own candidate and neither did it formally back any running candidate. [33]
The party 2012 presidential candidate, Pekka Haavisto, announced in February 2017 that he will reprise his candidacy. [34] The decision came after Haavisto had been approached multiple times by the Green Party. [35] Previously the party leader Ville Niinistö, President Niinistö's nephew, had stated that he would not seek the candidacy. [36] Haavisto was confirmed as the party's candidate on 12 February. [37]
The Left Alliance chose MEP Merja Kyllönen as the party's candidate on 18 March 2017, after being the only one interested in running. [38] Former leader of the party Paavo Arhinmäki was also interested in running early on, but later decided to concentrate on running for the office of Mayor of Helsinki. [38]
Social Democratic Party organised an informal membership poll in August 2017 for electing the party's presidential candidate, with three candidates entering the race, MPs Maarit Feldt-Ranta, Tuula Haatainen and Sirpa Paatero. [39] The final decision based on the membership poll was made on 2 September 2017, when it was revealed that Haatainen had received the most votes in the poll. Haatainen ultimately gained 48.6% of the votes against Feldt-Ranta's 42.3% and Paatero's 8.6%. [40]
Before Feldt-Ranta, Haatainen and Paatero entered the party primary, Social Democratic Party was struggling to find potential candidates, as most of the prominent politicians had declined the candidacy. From early on, there was speculation on two possible candidates, Eero Heinäluoma and Jutta Urpilainen. [12] [41] In June 2016, Heinäluoma announced that he would not seek presidency due to his wife's recent death and ongoing work in the Parliament. [42] In February 2017, Urpilainen also announced she would not seek presidency. [43] The leader of the party Antti Rinne, the Governor of the Bank of Finland Erkki Liikanen and MEP Liisa Jaakonsaari likewise announced that they were not entering the presidential race. [44] [45] [46] There were also talks within SDP on supporting a candidate outside the party, such as archbishop Kari Mäkinen, if no candidate would be found from within. [47] Prominent SDP figureheads, such as Erkki Tuomioja and Lasse Lehtinen, even suggested the possibility of backing the incumbent president Sauli Niinistö. [48]
The Swedish People's Party decided to choose their candidate in the party congress in June 2017. As no one else entered the party's primary on 11 June, Member of the European Parliament Nils Torvalds was nominated as the party candidate. [49] In Spring 2016, then leader of the party, Carl Haglund stated that he was thinking about candidacy, but renounced his leadership and left politics later that year. [50] [51]
On 19 August 2017, the Christian Democrats decided to back the incumbent President Sauli Niinistö. It was previously speculated that the leader of the party and former presidential candidate Sari Essayah would run again. [52] However, after Essayah announced that she would not seek the candidacy, the party convention decided to back Niinistö. [53]
Former Center Party politician and three-time presidential candidate Paavo Väyrynen announced that he would run as an independent candidate if he managed to gather the 20,000 signatures required from his supporters in time. [54] By 26 November, he had gathered around 15,000 signatures. [55] On 5 December, he announced that he had gathered the needed 20,000 signatures. [56]
The parties budgeted about as much for their campaigns than during the last presidential election in 2012. Ahead of the election, the campaign teams budgeted as follows: Niinistö 1,000,000–1,500,000 euros, Haatainen 550,000 euros, Haavisto and Vanhanen 500,000 euros, Torvalds 400,000 euros, Kyllönen 250,000 euros and Huhtasaari 200,000 euros. [57] [58] Väyrynen didn't leave the notion ahead of the election, but reveled afterwards that his team had collected 162,000 euros for the campaign. [59]
After the election, Niinistö announced that the 300,000 euros that were reserved for the second round would be donated to the charity. [60]
The first presidential debate was organised on 30 October 2017 by the Finnish Business and Policy Forum at Finlandia Hall. All confirmed candidates took part, excluding Kyllönen, who was on a business trip. The event marks the earliest moment that the incumbent president has taken part in debates. [61] The debates continued at the University of Helsinki on 13 November, with Vanhanen being absent after being hospitalised for heart arrhythmia. [62] As Väyrynen became an official candidate only in early December, he was not invited to the first three debates and thus the first debate, that gathered all candidates together, was organised on 13 December 2017. [63]
2018 Finnish presidential election first-round debates | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Organizers | Moderators | P Present N Not present | Sources | |||||||
Haatainen | Haavisto | Huhtasaari | Kyllönen | Niinistö | Torvalds | Vanhanen | Väyrynen | ||||
30 October 2017 17:30 | Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA) ISTV | – | P | P | P | N | P | P | P | N | [64] |
13 November 2017 17:00 | ISTV Paasikivi Society UKK Society UNA Finland | Timo Haapala | P | P | P | P | P | P | N | N | [65] |
27 November 2017 18:00 | Maanpuolustuskurssiyhdistys | Pauli Aalto-Setälä | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | N | [66] |
13 December 2017 20:00 | MTV3 | Jaakko Loikkanen Juha Kaija | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | [67] |
14 December 2017 21:05 | Yle | Jan Andersson Seija Vaaherkumpu | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | [68] |
10 January 2018 11:30 | Kaleva Yle | Hanne Kinnunen Petri Laukka | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | [69] |
12 January 2018 18:00 | Aamulehti | Sinikka Tuomi Jussi Tuulensuu | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | [70] |
21 January 2018 20:00 | MTV3 | Merja Ylä-Anttila Jussi Kärki | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | [71] |
22 January 2018 18:00 | Iltalehti | Susanne Päivärinta Juha Ristamäki | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | [72] |
22 January 2018 20:00 | Yle Fem | Ingemo Lindroos Ville Hupa | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | [73] |
23 January 2018 16:00 | Helsingin Sanomat Ilta-Sanomat | Marko Junkkari Timo Haapala | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | [74] |
25 January 2018 21:05 | Yle | Jan Andersson Seija Vaaherkumpu | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | [75] |
In October 2017, the Security Committee of the Finnish Ministry of Defence released an assessment on the possibilities of Russian involvement in the presidential election. The assessment addressed nine possible scenarios, ranging from spreading false information through social media to a political assassination. The Security Committee also suggested ten possible objectives for Russian involvement, including obstructing discussion on NATO and isolating Finland from the European Union. [76]
Long-time Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja heavily criticised the assessment and called it "pure fantasy resembling something from the pen of Ilkka Remes". [77]
Poll source | Survey dates | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Niinistö Independent | Haavisto Greens | Huhtasaari Finns | Vanhanen Centre | Haatainen SDP | Kyllönen Left | Torvalds SFP | Väyrynen Independent | Others | Don't know | ||
Kantar TNS | 22–24 Jan 2018 | 58% | 13% | 5% | 4% | 5% | 5% | 3% | 7% | – | – |
Taloustutkimus | 17–23 Jan 2018 | 63% | 14% | 6% | 4% | 2% | 4% | 2% | 6% | – | – |
Kantar TNS | 8–17 Jan 2018 | 68% | 11% | 4% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 1% | 8% | – | – |
Tietoykkönen | 9–16 Jan 2018 | 58% | 14% | 6% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 2% | 7% | – | – |
Taloustutkimus | 27 Dec 2017–3 Jan 2018 | 72% | 11% | 5% | 2% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 4% | – | – |
Kantar TNS | 4–16 Dec 2017 | 70% | 11% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% | – | 3% | – | 6% |
Tietoykkönen | 23 Nov–3 Dec 2017 | 64% | 12% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 8% |
Taloustutkimus | 20–28 Nov 2017 | 80% | 10% | 4% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 1% | – | 1% | – |
Kantar TNS | 16–27 Oct 2017 | 67% | 13% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 1% | – | 1% | 8% |
Tietoykkönen | 10–11 Oct 2017 | 60% | 10% | 4% | 2% | 3% | 3% | – | 1% | 2% | 14% |
Taloustutkimus | 2–10 Oct 2017 | 76% | 14% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 1% | – | 1% | – |
Kantar TNS | 4–14 Sep 2017 | 68% | 13% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 2% | – | – | – | 10% |
Taloustutkimus | 22–23 Aug 2017 | 60% | 12% | 4% | 3% | – | 2% | 1% | 2% | 5% | 9% |
Tietoykkönen | 30 May–1 Jun 2017 | 62% | 11% | – | 1% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 9% | 12% |
Taloustutkimus | Jun 2017 | 72% | 12% | – | 3% | – | 2% | – | – | 5% | 5% |
TNS | Apr 2017 | 66% | 19% | – | 4% | – | 3% | – | – | 8% | – |
Poll source | Survey dates | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Niinistö Independent | Haatainen SDP | Don't know | ||
Taloustutkimus | 17–23 Jan 2018 | 89% | 11% | – |
Kantar TNS | 8–17 Jan 2018 | 80% | 8% | 12% |
Tietoykkönen | 9–16 Jan 2018 | 85% | 15% | – |
Taloustutkimus | 27 Dec 2017–3 Jan 2018 | 92% | 8% | – |
Tietoykkönen | 23 Nov–3 Dec 2017 | 91% | 9% | – |
Taloustutkimus | 2–10 Oct 2017 | 94% | 6% | – |
Kantar TNS | 4–14 Sep 2017 | 85% | 6% | 9% |
Poll source | Survey dates | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Niinistö Independent | Haavisto Greens | Don't know | ||
Taloustutkimus | 17–23 Jan 2018 | 80% | 20% | – |
Kantar TNS | 8–17 Jan 2018 | 73% | 14% | 13% |
Tietoykkönen | 9–16 Jan 2018 | 75% | 25% | – |
Taloustutkimus | 27 Dec 2017–3 Jan 2018 | 82% | 18% | – |
Tietoykkönen | 23 Nov–3 Dec 2017 | 79% | 21% | – |
Taloustutkimus | 20–28 Nov 2017 | 86% | 14% | – |
Taloustutkimus | 2–10 Oct 2017 | 82% | 18% | – |
Kantar TNS | 4–14 Sep 2017 | 77% | 16% | 7% |
Taloustutkimus | 22–23 Aug 2017 | 70% | 22% | 8% |
Taloustutkimus | May 2017 | 76% | 19% | 5% |
Poll source | Survey dates | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Niinistö Independent | Huhtasaari Finns | Don't know | ||
Taloustutkimus | 17–23 Jan 2018 | 90% | 10% | – |
Kantar TNS | 8–17 Jan 2018 | 83% | 6% | 11% |
Tietoykkönen | 9–16 Jan 2018 | 90% | 10% | – |
Taloustutkimus | 27 Dec 2017–3 Jan 2018 | 93% | 7% | – |
Tietoykkönen | 23 Nov–3 Dec 2017 | 94% | 6% | – |
Taloustutkimus | 20–28 Nov 2017 | 93% | 7% | – |
Taloustutkimus | 2–10 Oct 2017 | 96% | 4% | – |
Kantar TNS | 4–14 Sep 2017 | 87% | 4% | 9% |
Taloustutkimus | 22–23 Aug 2017 | 87% | 7% | 6% |
Poll source | Survey dates | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Niinistö Independent | Kyllönen Left | Don't know | ||
Taloustutkimus | 17–23 Jan 2018 | 89% | 11% | – |
Tietoykkönen | 9–16 Jan 2018 | 87% | 13% | – |
Taloustutkimus | 27 Dec 2017–3 Jan 2018 | 93% | 7% | – |
Tietoykkönen | 23 Nov–3 Dec 2017 | 90% | 10% | – |
Taloustutkimus | 20–28 Nov 2017 | 93% | 7% | – |
Taloustutkimus | 2–10 Oct 2017 | 96% | 4% | – |
Poll source | Survey dates | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Niinistö Independent | Torvalds SFP | Don't know | ||
Taloustutkimus | 17–23 Jan 2018 | 95% | 5% | – |
Tietoykkönen | 9–16 Jan 2018 | 91% | 9% | – |
Taloustutkimus | 27 Dec 2017–3 Jan 2018 | 97% | 3% | – |
Tietoykkönen | 23 Nov–3 Dec 2017 | 94% | 6% | – |
Poll source | Survey dates | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Niinistö Independent | Vanhanen Centre | Don't know | ||
Taloustutkimus | 17–23 Jan 2018 | 91% | 9% | – |
Kantar TNS | 8–17 Jan 2018 | 81% | 6% | 12% |
Tietoykkönen | 9–16 Jan 2018 | 89% | 11% | – |
Taloustutkimus | 27 Dec 2017–3 Jan 2018 | 95% | 5% | – |
Tietoykkönen | 23 Nov–3 Dec 2017 | 93% | 7% | – |
Taloustutkimus | 2–10 Oct 2017 | 96% | 4% | – |
Kantar TNS | 4–14 Sep 2017 | 89% | 3% | 7% |
Poll source | Survey dates | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Niinistö Independent | Väyrynen Independent | Don't know | ||
Taloustutkimus | 17–23 Jan 2018 | 89% | 11% | – |
Kantar TNS | 8–17 Jan 2018 | 77% | 12% | 11% |
Tietoykkönen | 9–16 Jan 2018 | 85% | 15% | – |
Taloustutkimus | 27 Dec 2017–3 Jan 2018 | 92% | 8% | – |
Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sauli Niinistö | Independent | 1,875,342 | 62.6 | |
Pekka Haavisto | Green League | 371,254 | 12.4 | |
Laura Huhtasaari | Finns Party | 207,337 | 6.9 | |
Paavo Väyrynen | Independent | 185,305 | 6.2 | |
Matti Vanhanen | Centre Party | 122,383 | 4.1 | |
Tuula Haatainen | Social Democratic Party | 97,294 | 3.2 | |
Merja Kyllönen | Left Alliance | 89,977 | 3.0 | |
Nils Torvalds | Swedish People's Party | 44,776 | 1.5 | |
Invalid/blank votes | 9,800 | – | ||
Total | 3,002,710 | 100 | ||
Registered voters/turnout | 4,498,004 | 66.8 | ||
Source: Ministry of Justice |
Paavo Matti Väyrynen is a Finnish veteran politician and a member of the Finnish Parliament, representing the Seven Star Movement and formerly the Citizen's Party and Centre Party. Väyrynen has been a member of the Finnish Parliament previously from 1970 to 1995 and again from 2007 to 2011 and has held many ministerial portfolios. He has also been a Member of the European Parliament from 1995 to 2007, and again from 2014 to 2018.
A presidential election was held in Finland on 15 and 29 January 2006 which resulted in the re-election of Tarja Halonen as President of Finland for a second six-year term.
Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 18 March 2007. Early voting was possible from the 7–13 March. The 200 members of the Eduskunta were elected from 15 constituencies.
Pekka Olavi Haavisto is a Finnish politician, minister and leader of Green League. He returned to the Finnish Parliament in the Finnish parliamentary election of March 2007 after an absence of 12 years and was re-elected again in 2011. In October 2013 he was appointed as the Minister for International Development after Heidi Hautala resigned from the job. He has also been a member of the Helsinki City Council.
Pieksämäki sub-region is a subdivision of Southern Savonia and one of the Sub-regions of Finland since 2009.
Keuruu sub-region is a subdivision of Central Finland and one of the Sub-regions of Finland since 2009.
North Western Pirkanmaa is a subdivision of Pirkanmaa and one of the Sub-regions of Finland since 2009.
Southern Pirkanmaa is a subdivision of Pirkanmaa and one of the Sub-regions of Finland since 2009.
Upper Pirkanmaa is a subdivision of Pirkanmaa and one of the Sub-regions of Finland since 2009.
Rauma sub-region is a subdivision of Satakunta and one of the Sub-regions of Finland since 2009.
Presidential elections were held in Finland in January and February 2012. The first round took place on 22 January 2012 with advance voting between 11 and 17 January. Since no candidate received a majority of the vote, a second round was held on 5 February, with advance voting between 25 and 31 January. Sauli Niinistö was elected the President of Finland for a term from 1 March 2012 until 2018.
Tuula Irmeli Haatainen is a Finnish politician and a member of the Finnish Parliament, with the Social Democratic Party. She was the Minister of Education 2003–2005 and the Minister of Social Affairs and Health 2005–2007.
The 2019 Finnish parliamentary election is scheduled to be held on 14 April 2019.
Citizens' Party is a Finnish political party, founded in 2016. It was founded by the long-time Centre Party politician and MEP Paavo Väyrynen, who left Centre in early 2016. Väyrynen acted as the first chairman of the party until July 2017, when he was succeeded by Sami Kilpeläinen.
The 2017 Finns Party leadership election was held in Jyväskylä, Finland, on June 10, 2017, to elect the new chair of the Finns Party. All members of the party who had paid their subscription were allowed to vote in the election.
The 2017 Finnish government crisis followed the Finns Party leadership election held on 10 June 2017. Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Minister of Finance Petteri Orpo announced on 12 June that they would no longer cooperate in a coalition government with the Finns Party after Jussi Halla-aho was elected party chairman. The crisis resolved on 13 June when twenty MPs defected from the Finns Party's parliamentary group, forming what would eventually become the Blue Reform party. Sipilä's government retained a majority in Finland's parliament as the Blue Reform continued as a member of the coalition.
Blue Reform is a Finnish conservative political party.