NORMAL LIFE: Finland re-elects current President

Last night saw the second round of elections for the Finnish Presidency. Voter turnout was 77.1% and resulted in the re-election of left-winger Tarja Haloneon for a second six year term. It's believe that Sauli Niinistö (Tarja's only opponent) support of NATO on the foreign policy front (Finland shares an 800-mile border with Russia) may have hampered his chances of election.

Having spoken to many friends over the last few weeks about the upcoming elections, many remained undecided on who to vote for so it's no suprise that the presidency was narrowly won with Halonen
receiving just 51.8% of the votes. My boyfriend is so pissed off by the outcome and after Tarja Halonen came on TV to thank international journalists for their coverage, I shared his view. What did she have to say to the international audience? As Finland's first woman president elected six years ago, she raised her index finger (indicating she was number one) and claimed that her re-election was a massive victory for women.

What possessed her to express her feminist attitude in front of a group of international journalists is beyond me. When I met Tarja Halonen outside the Stadium Swimming Pool last summer, she was very approachable and down to earth. What I saw on TV last night was a hard-faced feminist cow. Without a bit of luck, we'll get a much better looking President in six years time!

BBC Article: Finns Narrowly Relect Halonen - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4659628.stm