Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, a fiercely pro-European conservative, announced Monday his plans to stand for re-election in January 2018, where he is seen as a favourite.
Niinisto, 68, was elected to a first term in 2012 at a time when Finland -- which joined the eurozone under his tutelage as finance minister from 1996 to 2003 -- was experiencing a severe economic crisis.
Thanks to an ongoing austerity programme, the Nordic country emerged from its slump in 2015 and is now experiencing a relative upswing, with growth of 1.6 percent in the first quarter and an unemployment rate under nine percent.
Niinisto told reporters that he would not stand as a representative of his National Coalition Party, but as an independent.
He said he wanted to be elected under Finland's popular petition system, where any citizen can be a candidate if he or she garners 20,000 signatures, without being a member of a political party.
"I love this country... I'm somewhat fascinated to see how broad the support is that I really get from the Finns," he said.
Niinisto already appears to be the frontrunner in the election. The latest opinion poll by state broadcaster YLE, published in December, suggested 52 percent of Finns wanted Niinisto to serve a second term.
The powers of the Finnish president are relatively limited, but Finns appreciate Niinisto for his candour, independence and strength under adversity.
The father of two lost his wife in a car accident in 1995. In 2004, he was almost killed in the tsunami in Thailand, surviving and saving his youngest son's life by climbing a tree. His elder son survived by climbing onto a hotel roof.
Five years later, in 2009, he married the press secretary of his party, Jenni Haukio, who is 29 years his junior.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, a fiercely pro-European conservative, announced Monday his plans to stand for re-election in January 2018, where he is seen as a favourite.
Niinisto, 68, was elected to a first term in 2012 at a time when Finland — which joined the eurozone under his tutelage as finance minister from 1996 to 2003 — was experiencing a severe economic crisis.
Thanks to an ongoing austerity programme, the Nordic country emerged from its slump in 2015 and is now experiencing a relative upswing, with growth of 1.6 percent in the first quarter and an unemployment rate under nine percent.
Niinisto told reporters that he would not stand as a representative of his National Coalition Party, but as an independent.
He said he wanted to be elected under Finland’s popular petition system, where any citizen can be a candidate if he or she garners 20,000 signatures, without being a member of a political party.
“I love this country… I’m somewhat fascinated to see how broad the support is that I really get from the Finns,” he said.
Niinisto already appears to be the frontrunner in the election. The latest opinion poll by state broadcaster YLE, published in December, suggested 52 percent of Finns wanted Niinisto to serve a second term.
The powers of the Finnish president are relatively limited, but Finns appreciate Niinisto for his candour, independence and strength under adversity.
The father of two lost his wife in a car accident in 1995. In 2004, he was almost killed in the tsunami in Thailand, surviving and saving his youngest son’s life by climbing a tree. His elder son survived by climbing onto a hotel roof.
Five years later, in 2009, he married the press secretary of his party, Jenni Haukio, who is 29 years his junior.
