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

By JARI TANNER
Associated Press

HELSINKI (AP) — Voters in Finland are electing a new president at an unprecedented time. The Nordic nation is now a NATO member following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and its eastern border with Russia is closed. Both those things would have been almost unthinkable a few years ago. Unlike in most European countries, the president of Finland holds executive power in formulating foreign and security policy, particularly when dealing with countries outside the European Union. Some 4.5 million citizens are eligible to vote for Finland’s new head of state from an array of nine candidates. 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.