Finns go to the polls to elect a new president at an unprecedented time for the NATO newcomer

On Sunday, Finland held its first-ever presidential election. A few years ago, these developments would have seemed unimaginable for the Nordic country, which is now a member of NATO and has closed its eastern border with Russia.

Voting in all regions of the nation began at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) and will end at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT).

In Finland, like in much of Europe, the president has executive authority over foreign and security policy, especially when it comes to dealing with non-EU nations like China, Russia, and the United States.

A total of nine candidates—six men and three women—will compete for the position of Finland’s next head of state, to be chosen by the country’s 4.5 million eligible voters. They are picking a successor to hugely popular President Sauli Niinistö, whose second six-year term expires in March. He is not eligible for re-election.

No candidate is expected get more than 50% of the vote in Sunday’s first round of voting, pushing the race into a runoff in February.

Recent polls suggest that former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, 55, and ex-Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, 65, are the leading contenders.

Stubb, who represents the conservative National Coalition Party and headed the Finnish government in 2014-2015, and veteran politician Haavisto, an ex-United Nations diplomat running for the post for the third time, are each estimated to garner 23%-27% of the votes.

Finland’s new head of state will start a six-year term in March in a markedly different geopolitical and security situation in Europe than did incumbent Niinistö after the 2018 election.

Abandoning decades of military non-alignment in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland became NATO’s 31st member in April, much to the annoyance of President Vladimir Putin of Russia, which shares a 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with the Nordic nation.

NATO membership, which has made Finland the Western military alliance’s front-line country toward Russia, and the war raging in Ukraine a mere 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) away from Finland’s border have boosted the president’s status as a security policy leader.

Advance vote results will be confirmed soon after polls close and initial results from Sunday’s voting are expected by around midnight (2200 GMT). The first round results will be officially confirmed on Tuesday.

The likely second round of voting between the two candidates with the most votes is set for Feb. 11.