Stubb said in his speech that he was concerned about the division of Finland.
Coalition appointed former Prime Minister, Professor by Alexander Stubb on Saturday officially as a presidential candidate.
“I have never experienced such a greater display of trust. I have accepted the responsibility you place on my shoulders”, Stubb said in his speech to the party people.
“I want an open, safe and international Finland. And that means that we put the interests of the whole of Finland first, always and together.”
The extraordinary party meeting in Espoo made the decision unanimously. Party chairman, prime minister Petteri Orpo characterized Stubb as an “excellent candidate”.
Before the election, several members of the coalition used supportive speeches praising Stubb. The former chairman of Rkp, who arrived at the meeting place, also spoke on behalf of his candidacy Stefan Wallin.
Rkp decided earlier in the fall that it will not put its own candidate in the elections.
In his speech Stubb said he was worried about the division of Finland and the divisive discussion culture.
“I have the feeling that Finland has changed. Our conversational culture is guided by a time-consuming identity politics. It lacks respect for others, dialogue and sometimes even civility. The other is not listened to or treated with dignity,” he said.
According to Stubb, this was seen, for example, during the spring parliamentary elections.
“A divided nation cannot defend itself. We see that in Israel right now. We cannot afford to be polarized into localists and globalists, left and right, young and old, native Finns and immigrants, or metropolises and rural areas.”
In his speech, Stubb also praised all his fellow competitors.
“I look forward to future discussions. I respect and value every competitor, and in that spirit I intend to conduct these elections.”
When asked by the reporters, Stubb did not want to discuss in more detail the differences between him and other candidates, for example the voters’ association that conducts support polls Pekka Haaviston (green) between.
“The voter is the one who decides what separates us.”
Stubby according to which the next president will have to be creative in the new situation.
“Fortunately, Finland has now chosen its place. We are part of the alliance of Western democracies. The next president of the republic will literally be the international NATO president. He is no longer dependent on his relationship with Russia in the same way as his predecessors once were,” he said.
Despite this, according to Stubb, the next president must also create relations with the global east and south.
“And one day also to Russia. That neighbor will not disappear anywhere,” he said.
“The world’s problems cannot be solved only with those who agree with us.”
Former Member of the Koomoo Party, chairman of Liike Nyt and presidential candidate Harry “Hjallis” Harkimo criticized Stubb’s old statements, which had a positive attitude towards the Fennovoima nuclear power project, in the press release he sent during the party meeting.
Fennovoima was to build a nuclear power plant in Pyhäjoki together with Rosatom, which is under the strict control of the Russian state.
When asked by reporters, Stubb replied that he had stated several times that he was wrong about Fennovoima.
“I have talked a lot about the fact that in my own career I have made four mistakes related to Russia. One of them was the visa-free drive, the second was Nord Stream, which kind of came as a given because it was a gas pipeline between Germany and Russia, and the third was Rosatom,” Stubb said.
“Fourth and the most important of all was that I did not pursue Finland’s NATO membership energetically enough.”
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