Finnish voters opted for reliability and stability by overwhelmingly handing a second term to President Niinisto. His huge victory means Finland will avoid a presidential runoff for the first time in history. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto clinched an overwhelming victory in the first round of elections on Sunday. Pro-EU President Niinisto was instrumental in maintaining ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite Finland backing western economic sanctions against Russia over its annexation of Crimea in 2014. Almost 4.5 million voters were eligible to vote for the president, a largely ceremonial post following changes to the constitution adopted in 1999.

Source: Egypt Independent January 29, 2018 04:52 UTC