Stubb leads in advance voting of Finnish presidential run-off

HELSINKI -- The presidential candidate for the National Coalition Alexander Stubb led the advance voting results with 52.7 percent support in the final round of the Finnish presidential election, according to figures released by the Finnish Ministry of Justice on Sunday.

The independent Green candidate Pekka Haavisto got 47.3 percent support from early voters in the final round.

The vote counting for the final round of the presidential election will continue, as the ballots cast on Sunday have yet to be counted.

"A really good start to this evening," Stubb, former prime minister, commented on the result of the advance voting to local media, while Haavisto, former foreign minister, said he was starting from a bit behind, but "the game is not lost."

Sami Borg, an election expert from national broadcaster Yle, said the advance voting result is not yet decisive.

Ballot casting for the final round of the Finnish presidential election started at 9 am local time (0700 GMT) Sunday morning. The advance voting period for the final round was from Jan 31 to Feb 6 in Finland. Abroad, advance voting for the final round was conducted between Jan 31 and Feb 3.

According to preliminary data published by the Ministry of Justice, almost 46 percent of eligible voters residing in Finland voted in advance.

The Finnish presidential election is conducted through a direct popular vote. Nine candidates competed in the initial round on Jan 28, with the top two advancing to the final round.

A presidential election is held in Finland every six years. The election may consist of two rounds. If one of the candidates receives more than half of the votes in the first round, that person is elected president. A second round is held if no candidate receives more than half of the votes in the first round.