In Europe, the Finnish presidential election is seen through strong Russian lenses. Journalists from Politico, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation and Czech Radio tell us what kind of impact they think the outcome will have.
Charlie of Duxbury you don't have to think for a long time about what interests the European public in the Finnish presidential election. The answer is Russia.
According to Duxbury, Politico's Sweden correspondent, what makes these elections particularly interesting is the tightened security situation in Europe. Duxbury says the president Sauli Niinistön role in a challenging situation has been perceived as important in Europe.
“It has increased interest in who will be the next Niinistö,” says Duxbury.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than 70 journalists from 15 different countries will be covering Sunday's election day on the spot in Finland. What will interest the international audience in the next President?
Bruno Kauffmann reported on Finnish elections for the Swiss media for the first time in 1994. He says that the role of the Finnish president has changed over the years.
Swiss Northern European correspondent of the public broadcasting company by Bruno Kaufmann according to the President of Finland, his ability to hold talks with Moscow has previously been considered an important characteristic.
“Until three years ago, there was an idea that the Finnish president would talk to the Russian president and find solutions. Now this kind of thinking has disappeared, and the new president has to defend Finland from Russia instead of reunification,” says Kauffmann.
Duxbury also says that Finland's understanding of Russia is highly valued in Europe.
Nevertheless, he feels that Finland rarely leads the discussion about its eastern neighbor – Helsinki does not issue statements, and Finland is not constantly in the news. Instead, Duxbury sees Finland working quietly in the background.
“Niinistö was the personification of this policy,” Duxbury states.
of Duxbury according to the view, many of the candidates already in the first round wanted to profile themselves as followers of the quiet line. This meant that there were no hard exits or big openings in the campaigns. According to Duxbury, one might even be surprised by how calm the debate has been.
In addition to the fact that Duxbury believes that the candidates wanted to appear as a natural continuation of Niinistö, he also finds an explanation for the campaign emphasizing calmness in the world political situation.
“Nobody wants to risk a misunderstanding in Moscow,” Duxbury sums up.
Czech journalist Jakub Lucký thanks the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland for assisting foreign journalists in their election reporting.
Czech Radio reporter Jakub Lucký is of the opinion that one of the candidates would be such a suitable successor to Niinistö that many would not notice the difference.
“[Pekka] I don't hurt could switch to Niinistö, and three quarters of Europe wouldn't understand. They look a bit alike and have similar names. Niinistö, Haavisto,” Lucký jokes.
However, Lucký mentions one difference. To him, Stubb doesn't seem like a stereotypical Finn.
“Some could describe Stubb as arrogant, while others would call him more outgoing. But I don't think he's a typical Finn,” Lucký analyzed.
Kauffmann find more differences among the candidates. While Haavisto represents for him a Nordic foreign policy that prioritizes peace projects, the counter-candidate Alexander Stubb profiles rather through the emphasis on NATO and EU cooperation.
None of the journalists interviewed for the story seem to think that Sunday's elections will radically change Finland's foreign policy line. The differences between the candidates are small, especially from the outside.
This can be a virtue from a European perspective. There must be an order for uniformity right now, and quiet expertise has been in great demand in the past.
#Presidential #elections #Europe #people #thinking #Sauli #Niinistö #issues #international #media #Finnish #elections
