IN EUROPE’S frozen north, two presidents are standing for re-election: Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Finland’s somewhat lesser-known Sauli Niinisto. Both are likely to win with huge majorities. Some 70% of Finns back Mr Niinisto, polls say—a Putinesque level of support. Mr Niinisto looks likely to glide to victory in the first round of voting on January 28th. In a world where outsiders and populists are on the march, how does he do it? Unlike Mr Putin, he has none of the advantages of being an autocrat; Finland is one of the world’s freest democracies.
True, the Finnish presidency is mainly a symbolic role, focused on glad-handing foreigners and with little power over internal politics. Yet Mr Niinisto has a reputation for competence at both. As the Speaker of parliament, he won applause by encouraging MPs to travel second-class and book cheaper hotels. When he was finance minister in the late 1990s he slashed public debt from 60% to just over 40% of GDP, tickling the Finnish love of...Continue reading
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