Finland’s former prime minister, Alexander Stubb, joined the race to become the president of the Nordic country in an election due in January.
Stubb, who is currently director of the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute in Italy, announced his bid on Wednesday after the ruling National Coalition Party asked him earlier this week to run as the party candidate. Jutta Urpilainen, the first woman to represent Finland in the European Commission, may also join the race, public broadcaster YLE reported.
The 55-year-old Stubb, who served as the premier in 2014-2015, has held various ministerial positions since 2008 and also worked at the European Investment Bank.
He is set for an uphill struggle against the favorites, including central bank Governor Olli Rehn and former foreign minister Pekka Haavisto. Haavisto has reached second round in the vote in 2012 and 2018, losing both times to Sauli Niinisto, who is prevented by the constitution from running for a third six-year term.
Urpilainen, who holds the Commission’s portfolio for international partnerships, is “seriously considering” a request from the Social Democratic Party to be nominated as its candidate, YLE cited her as saying at the party’s summer meeting in Helsinki. She plans to announce her decision by November, YLE said.
Read More: ECB’s Rehn Joins Race to Become Finnish President
(Updates with EU official also considering a bid from second paragraph.)
