Election Day

Today the Finns go to the polls for the first round of voting in the presidential election. It is almost inevitable that there will be a second round in two weeks' time. I cast my vote this afternoon at the Town Hall in Somero, and there was a steady flow of people arriving to vote as I left. I am fairly sure that the turnout for today's election will be a high one.

As someone who has lived much of my life abroad I am always interested to see how the foreign press portray Finland. Of course Finland is famous for its saunas, beautiful (but cold) winters and Father Christmas, but over the last year Finland has started to be portrayed in a different light. Reputable newspapers such as The Times in the UK and le Figaro in France have run several articles about the sudden rise in popularity of the far right in Finland and the growth in nationalism here. This has done little to promote Finland's reputation in Europe and elsewhere. The Finnish election results were heavily analysed last year following the strong results acheived by the far right and we are being watched this time too by political commentators worldwide.

Let's hope the eventual winner of this election is someone who will give a strong and credible voice to Finland on the world stage and someone we as a nation can be proud of.