Sauli Niinistö elected as Finland's president

The Finnish public has elected Sauli Niinistö from the moderate conservative National Coalition Party (kokoomus) as the nation's 12th president last sunday.

The former finance minister defeated the Green’s Pekka Haavisto by 62.6 per cent to 37.4 per cent in the second round of the elections.

He becomes the first non-Social Democrat head of state in Finland in 30 years and the first of the National Coalition since 1956.

Niinistö won a majority in 14 of the country's 15 electoral districts. The only exception was in the autonomous Åland Islands district.  In Helsinki the two men were evenly matched with barely 1000 votes between them. Niinistö’s largest lead was in Vaasa where he won with 72.3 per cent.

Slightly over 4.4 million people were eligible to vote. At 68.8 per cent, voter turnout for the second round was the lowest in a presidential election since 1950.  

In the first round two weeks ago, when voters were choosing from a field of eight candidates, the turnout was 72.8 per cent.

Niinistö will take over as president from Tarja Halonen on March 1.