The executive committee of the Green League has unanimously recommended the nomination of MP Heidi Hautala as the party's candidate in the upcoming Presidential elections.
The final decision is to be made at a party council meeting in Imatra on April 23rd.
In a poll of the party’s membership in March, 78% of respondents were in favour of running a candidate in the elections, and 63% of those supported Heidi Hautala.
Hautala got the support of 506 party members. MP Tarja Cronberg got 70, MP and party leader Osmo Soininvaara got 68, and MEP Satu Hassi got 61 votes. Members of the party leadership were somewhat surprised that only 14 respondents wanted the Greens to support incumbent President Tarja Halonen.
A total of 2,400 Green League members were sent the survey, and 979 responded.
Heidi Hautala herself has said that she would be willing to run in the election, if the party executive and council endorse her candidacy.
The 49-year-old Heidi Hautala was the Green candidate in the previous Presidential elections in 2000. She got over 100,000 votes, which was 3.3% of the total of votes cast in the first round.
