Finnish voters went to the polls Sunday to elect a new president, with eight candidates vying to succeed Tarja Halonen, who was not allowed to stand for a third six-year term, dpa reported. Former finance minister Sauli Niinisto of the conservatives was the frontrunner but it was unlikely that the 63-year-old would win a first round majority, according to several polls published in the run-up. Niinisto, who at one stage last year seemed on track to win a first round majority, has seen a drop in support but said that his polls were "still very high," he told tabloid Iltalehti on Saturday, the final day of campaigning. The polls indicated that Niinisto would face either the Green Party's Pekka Haavisto or veteran Paavo Vayrynen of the Centre Party in a runoff set for February 5. After casting his vote Sunday, Haavisto, 53, said he would "calmly wait" for the results of "the final Gallup." About 4.4 million voters were eligible to vote for the president, a largely ceremonial post following changes in the constitution that were adopted in 1999. The Justice Ministry's election unit said about a third of the voters had cast their ballots in advance voting.
