COMMENTARY: Voters alienated by parties had impact on result of first round
Citizens hoping for struggle between Halonen and Niinistö
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By Martta Nieminen
In these Presidential elections, it is clear that the most influential people were those of the generations for whom party affiliation is no longer sacrosanct.
Even in the opinion polls conducted before the actual election day, it could be seen that the voters paid relatively little heed to the political party when making their decisions.
Therefore, the election appeared to be a genuine choice of the person involved. The result was a source of tension to the very end.
The voter turnout, which was a few percentage points lower than in the previous Presidential elections, possibly hurt the figures of Tarja Halonen, but there are many among the voters who want to put Halonen to the test.
Up to now, she has had it fairly easy. She has had to explain complicated issues of security policy, her policy on appointments, and her sometimes irritable behaviour, but she made it through it all fairly well.
However, for many Halonen supporters, it has not been quite clear if a second term for her would bring about a safer or an economically more dynamic future for the Finns.
The people now want to see a real struggle between Halonen and second-place winner Sauli Niinistö. The situation is an exciting one, as there are expectations that Niinistö will also make new initiatives in the coming two weeks.
Before the elections, Professor Emeritus Tuomo Martikainen, who has long studied voter behaviour, said that it would not be very embarrassing for Halonen if she were not elected right away in the first round.
Election expert Dr. Sami Borg of the University of Tampere disagrees. "Halonen is no spring chicken. She knows that this is a tough game."
The concentration of votes on the main candidates was powerful in these elections.
In the late stages it appeared that at least the Greens’ Heidi Hautala and the True Finns’ Timo Soini would increase their share of the vote. Their results ended up being rather weak, but especially Hautala took away votes from Halonen, at least in the Helsinki region.
But what is the fate of the Centre Party’s Matti Vanhanen, who came in third?
Borg believes that Vanhanen, who appeared to be very disappointed on Sunday evening, probably feels a sense of personal relief not to end up in a second round.
He also does not see Vanhanen’s defeat as problematic for the Centre Party.
"If this were more obviously a party election, then it would naturally have been much more significant. As it was an election for a person, it is also relatively simple for politicians to explain the result."
MARTTA NIEMINEN / Helsingin Sanomat
martta.nieminen@hs.fi
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| 16.1.2006 - TODAY |
 COMMENTARY: Voters alienated by parties had impact on result of first round
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