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By Anne Kauranen
HELSINKI (Reuters) – Alexander Stubb declared himself winner of Finland’s presidential election on Sunday after a marketing campaign constructed on guarantees to take advantage of his nation’s new membership of NATO and again Ukraine in its warfare with shared neighbour Russia.
In his new job, the centre-right former prime minister and funding banker will head up overseas and safety coverage, characterize Finland in NATO conferences and act as Commander-in-Chief of the army.
It’s “essential that we in Europe handle our personal defence,” the 55-year-old instructed Reuters within the buildup to the vote. He stated he agreed along with his predecessor Sauli Niinisto “who stated that we’d like a extra European NATO”.
The brand new job marks Stubb’s return to home politics after a number of years overseas working as vice chairman of the European Funding Financial institution and director on the European College Institute in Florence.
Allies describe him as a multi-lingual, pro-European, fiscal conservative. He describes himself as a average.
He can be “a Western president in some ways” and lean in direction of the US, Britain and Nordic neighbours when it got here to setting the tone of overseas coverage, he instructed Reuters.
He would set “no limits” to Finland’s assist for Ukraine.
“My start line is, paraphrasing (European Central Financial institution President) Mario Draghi, no matter it takes,” Stubb stated.
The Nordic nation joined the Western army alliance in April final 12 months, breaking with a long time of non-alignment in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Throughout his election marketing campaign Stubb stated Finland needs to be an energetic NATO member and search to have some NATO troops stationed on its territory.
He has additionally stated he can be able to let nuclear weapons be transported by way of the nation – although not saved there. “At instances, a nuclear weapon is a assure of peace,” he stated at a debate.
Many Finns additionally see cosmopolitan Stubb as a candidate of the Helsinki elite, in line with College of Helsinki political scientist Johanna Vuorelma. “The seen and well-known names of the enterprise world are strongly behind Stubb,” Vuorelma stated.
However that was a picture he tried to shift throughout his marketing campaign, by talking favourably of Finland’s social-democratic welfare mannequin, she added.
Way back to the Nineties, it was clear that overseas coverage was certainly one of his strengths, despite the fact that through the years there have been questions “over what the extent of his home political experience and curiosity in it was,” the pinnacle of Finland’s Centre for Parliamentary Research, Markku Jokisipila, stated.
Stubb served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2008 earlier than shifting residence to kick off a political profession capped by a string of ministerial posts – overseas affairs, European affairs and commerce, finance after which prime minister in 2014-2015. He was ousted in 2016 as chair of the Nationwide Coalition Celebration that he nonetheless represents.
Stubb is a eager newbie athlete and triathlon champion – although he has stated he’ll minimize down on sport as soon as he turns into Finland’s thirteenth president.
He’s married to British-born lawyer Suzanne Innes-Stubb, 54, with whom he has two grown-up youngsters.
(Reporting by Anne Kauranen; Enhancing by Andrew Heavens)
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