Presidential update

To not leave the post before the previous one a cliff-hanger, an update on the Finnish presidential election.

The first round last Sunday left the two most vote-getting candidates standing, and they are as follows.

• Sauli Niinistö, a curly-haired, wrinkle-faced amiable guy, Kokoomus/National Coalition Party (one of the four big parties), 37% of the first-round vote. Expected to win. Center-rightist (American: monster Communist), city person, bland enough to suit most people; pro-euro, pro-EU and pro-Europe.
• Pekka Haavisto, an amiable-looking average guy with blonde hair, Vihreät/Green League (one of the small but nontrivial parties), 19% of the first-round vote. (The percentages were really weird: both of these two vampired away a lot of other parties’ faithful.) Favored by the young; gay; green. Center-leftist (American: monster bizarro Communist), pro-European, UN wonk, city person. Given the second round is between just these two, he could win; second-rounds have usually been close. The one I want to win, because while I feel a strong minority of the Greens are human-hating woo-woo people, they as a whole are right, and that means left, about most-all things I care about.

Generally speaking, the talk is the second round will not be left versus right, or city versus country; it’ll be this solid, stolid personage with a wife half his age against the gay green one with a foreigner boyfriend. And while I favor the latter, I don’t get any immediate urges to move Swedenward from the possibility of the former, either. (Unfortunately, there are lots of people who have problems with the thought of a Green, or a gay, to say nothing of someone who is both.)

The second round will be voted 5th of February, the result will be known that same day (and I will comment “meh whatever dumbface” or “yip hip hooray!”), and the winner will replace Mrs. Tarja Halonen from the beginning of March.