EU Commissioner Urpilainen to run for president in Finland

Jutta Urpilainen, the EU commissioner for worldwide partnerships, on Sunday introduced she would run for the presidency of her native Finland.

“I would like that we Finns can proceed to decide to not leaving anybody behind,” Urpilainen stated at a press convention for the Socialist Democratic Social gathering. “That’s the reason I’m accessible as SDP’s candidate within the presidential election,” she stated.

Urpilainen will depart her function on the European Fee in Brussels on December 2 to start out her marketing campaign, Finnish media Yle reported. 

Elections for the six-year time period of president are to be held on the finish of January, with a doable second spherical in February. The present president, Sauli Niinistö, continues to be widespread after guiding the traditionally impartial nation into NATO, however he has hit the nation’s two-year time period restrict. 

Finnish socialists — together with ex-Prime Minister Sanna Marin — have been begging Urpilainen to leap right into a race that’s already effectively underneath method forward of the January 28 vote. 

An YLE ballot revealed Wednesday discovered simply 4 % of respondents backing Urpilainen — seventh place.

“There are 70 days forward. Every little thing that must be stated shall be stated in time. We’re making a marketing campaign that shall be observed,” Urpilainen stated.

Alexander Stubb, the previous center-right prime minister who bid unsuccessfully to be the EPP spitzenkandidat in 2019, is pulling forward of former Overseas Minister Pekka Haavisto, the ballot confirmed. Olli Rehn, who dealt with enlargement and economics portfolios throughout two stints as a European commissioner, is working fourth.