Center-right National Coalition Party candidate Oleksandr Stubb is leading Sunday after the first round of Finland’s presidential election with a preliminary result of 28.3%, according to data from the Ministry of Justice. at the closing of polling stations.

Pekka Haavisto, a Green Party liberal, came in second with 25.8 percent, followed by Jussi Halla-aho of the Finnish Nationalist Party with 16.1 percent, according to official figures, after 61.3 percent were counted. votes, Reuters and News.ro report.

The second round of voting between the first two candidates will take place on February 11.

Finland is electing a new president to lead the country’s foreign and security policy in its new role in NATO, after it abandoned decades of nonalignment to join the Western defense alliance in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“It’s much more than I dared to expect, I’m very pleased and grateful,” Stubb, a former prime minister, told public broadcaster Yle.

Haavisto, who served as foreign minister until last year, said he hoped to make it to the second round.

“It’s a great result in the first round and a very big difference to those behind us, so I think we will go to the second round with Alexander Stubb,” he told Yle.

The President of Finland conducts foreign and security policy in close cooperation with the government and represents the country at NATO meetings, while acting as the Commander of the Finnish Defense Forces.

All three main candidates are supporters of Ukraine and call for tough measures against Russia.

During their election campaigns, both Stubb and Haavisto moved towards the political middle, while Halla-Aho maintained his right-wing conservative profile.