Among the nine candidates running for Finland's presidential election on Sunday, former prime minister Alexander Stubb and ex-foreign minister Pekka Haavisto are in the lead.
 
The elected president will serve a six-year term with limited powers, and does not lead foreign policy together with the government.

Alexander Stubb, a former PM:

Alexander Stubb served as prime minister from 2014 to 2015 and has returned to politics to run for president after years in academia. He was first elected to the European Parliament in 2004, became foreign minister in 2008, and later held the files of finance and European affairs.  

The former prime minister was shamed several times in 2014. First for wearing shorts at a conference about Ukraine, and for acting as a human dartboard in a theme park. 

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Stubb was also called out for his decision to grant permission for the construction of a nuclear power plant together with Russian state-owned Rosatom. 

Later in 2015, he became the finance minister. Two years later, he left the parliament and became vice president of the European Investment Bank.

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Pekka Haavisto, the 'NATO architect': 

Pekka Haavisto, a 65-year-old member of the Greens party and former Foreign Minister, is currently running as an independent. He played a key role in shaping Finland's NATO membership, overseeing a significant policy shift that marked the end of decades of military non-alignment.

With a background in diplomacy, Haavisto was involved in conflict resolution when tasked with negotiating the release of Finns held captive in Kuwait following the war with Iraq in 1990. His diplomatic career includes serving as a United Nations diplomat and acting as the EU Special Representative for Sudan from 2005 to 2007, where he contributed to the Darfur peace talks.

Despite running for the presidency twice before, in 2012 and 2018, Haavisto faced defeat on both occasions against outgoing President Sauli Niinisto of the conservative party.

Beyond his political endeavors, Haavisto is recognized as an amateur DJ, using the name DJ Pexi.

Jussi Halla-aho, the 'anti-immigration linguist':

Jussi Halla-aho, the 52-year-old candidate from the far-right Finns Party, currently holds the third position in the polls. 

Halla-aho owes his political career to his controversial blog, Scripta, initiated in 2005, where he articulates criticisms of the media and immigration.

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Notably, he has been a persistent critic of Russia and, as early as 2019, cautioned against the construction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines. His unwavering pro-Ukrainian stance has earned him recognition, including a medal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky bestowed upon him last year.