The two candidates expressed very similar views on the issues most important to voters' minds – both strongly supported joining NATO and took a hard line on Russia. The differences between them are largely stylistic.
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During his election campaign, Stapp, a former prime minister who attended university in South Carolina, emphasized his desire to strengthen transatlantic relations and regularly highlighted his hard-line stance.
“I'm as tough as the best of them, there's no doubt about that,” he said. New York times Before voting.
He said that confronting Russia has become more difficult in the era of hybrid warfare.
A section of the Baltic Pipeline, a gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, was damaged by a Chinese ship while traveling between two Russian ports last year. Although the investigation into the incident is still ongoing, many security experts suspect it is a sabotage operation. There has also been an increase in cyberattacks, some of which Russia has claimed responsibility for.
One issue of particular concern to voters has been the sudden sharp increase in the numbers of asylum seekers crossing into Finland via the Russian border, which many in Finland see as a signal from Russia in response to its NATO membership. Moscow warned that there would be “countermeasures” to Finland joining NATO.
“The line between war and peace has become blurred,” Stapp said.
Voter turnout in the runoff election was approximately 71 percent of voters, and white and blue Finnish flags were raised on buildings across the capital to mark the day. The tradition in Finland is to have coffee and cake after voting, and many families headed to the polls with their children, who could share sweets with their parents afterwards.
But beyond their border with Russia, there is another concern for Finnish voters across the Atlantic: what former US President Donald Trump, an outspoken critic of the alliance, has in store for Finland's NATO membership, even suggesting the US might withdraw from it. ? Winning the presidential election in November?
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“The entire decision to join NATO is based on the idea that the United States, the Americans, are here to stay and that the United States’ commitment is long-term,” said Matti Piso of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.
“If the United States decided to weaken its commitment, it would be a great irony, and it would weaken the deterrence value of Finland’s NATO membership.”
This article originally appeared on New York times.
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