Finnish Social Democrats have endorsed former prime minister Paavo Lipponen as their candidate in next year's presidential elections, results showed Tuesday, according to dpa. Lipponen, 70, secured two thirds of the roughly 23,000 votes cast by party members in the advisory vote. The party council is to formally approve his candidacy early October. Issues that Lipponen says he wants to focus on include foreign policy - on which the largely ceremonial head of state still has some influence - and political cohesion within the country. -- SPA
