Presidential election seen to brighten Finland’s image abroad

Haavisto wants to promote peace mediation, exports and free trade, Sauli Niinistö promotes exports, human rights and fighting climate change.

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By Marko Junkkari
     
      Expectations did a flip-flop when Green presidential candidate Pekka Haavisto picked the three most important issues that he feels the next president should try to influence. “Promoting exports”, Haavisto says. The second was less of a surprise: “peace mediation in international crises”.
      He has to think about his third choice for a long time. “Let’s put ‘promotion of free trade’.”
     
We asked the candidates in the second round of the presidential elections, Haavisto and Sauli Niinistö to fill the same questionnaire that Finnish expatriates were asked to fill in a recent survey (see linked story). The choices may have been influenced by the fact that the candidates are now fighting over the 1.4 million votes that were left “homeless” after the first round.
      Haavisto explains that he put free trade as a high priority because of the country’s export-oriented economy. “The success of the Finnish economy is based on reaching various markets in the world. The aim is therefore to act against protectionism.”
      Haavisto noted that “the environment and human rights already hold a central position in our foreign policy”. Consequently, he did not pick them.
     
Haavisto sees environmental technology as an important aspect of export promotion. Peace mediation, meanwhile, is important for the Finnish brand, in his view.
      Haavisto seemed to have been taken by surprise by his own choices of emphasis. After the interview, when he was asked to write the most important priority of the three that he chose, he wrote “human rights” – something that was not originally on his list.
     
Sauli Niinistö also thought about his focal points for a long time. Finally he chose “export promotion”, by which he says that he means “the reasonable promotion of our own interests”. In addition, he chose “fighting climate change”, and “promoting human rights around the world”.
      “In fighting climate change I am disturbed by a certain lack of long-term thinking”, Niinistö says. In the early 2000s the fight against climate change took wind with the help of the campaign by former US Vice President Al Gore. “Then came the economic crisis of 2008 and world public opinion changed. The same mouths started to repeat ‘consume, consume consume’”, Niinistö says.
      “It might be appropriate for Finland to emphasise that perhaps we should do what he have decided to do before.”
     
Niinistö approaches human rights via women’s rights. “I see excessive population growth to be the biggest global problem. Emphasising women’s rights gives this debate some meaning”, Niinistö says.
      Both candidates see the development toward globalisation to be in Finland’s interests. “But undoubtedly, in communities where an electronics assembly plant has gone to Eastern Europe or China there is a feeling that it might have been better if this did not happen”, Haavisto says.
     
Both Haavisto and Niinistö feel that the image of Finland that prevails around the world is positive. However, both also agree that the perception has grown in recent times that Finland has become less tolerant.
      “When Antonio [Flores] went to meet relatives in Belgium recently, he was asked how it is possible to live in Finland where foreigners are beaten”, Haavisto says.
     
Haavisto believes that the outcome of the first round of the presidential elections as such will improve the image that people have of Finland. “Many have said to me that when you travel around the world as president with Antonio, it will send two messages: the Finnish attitude toward registered couples is – let’s say neutral. And that it is possible to accept a president who has a foreign partner.”
      Niinistö believes that the image of Finland was darkened “by the debate over The Finns Party and their theses”.
     
Niinistö also laments that Finland has been hurt by questions arising from the eurozone subsidy issue.
      “The image that has been projected to the outside is that Finland lacks solidarity in the EU. We should be emphasising that Finland is constantly taking an amount of responsibility for handling the euro crisis that is greater than its share of causing it”, Niinistö says.
      Niinistö believes that the image of Finland can be improved thanks to the presidential elections. “Whatever the term was – the counter-jytky. I think that the message will get through.”
     
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 29.1.2012


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Survey shows expatriate Finns worried about Finland’s reputation for intolerance (30.1.2012)
  EDITORIAL: Haavisto success delivers liberal backlash to last year´s Finns Party seismic shock (24.1.2012)

MARKO JUNKKARI / Helsingin Sanomat
marko.junkkari@hs.fi