Stubb leads Finland’s presidential election with 52.7% in early results

HELSINKI (Reuters) – Centre-right Alexander Stubb of the National Coalition Party led in the run-off of Finland’s presidential election on Sunday, with 52.7% support from ballots cast in advance, justice ministry data showed.

The liberal Green Party member Pekka Haavisto was behind him at 47.3% support, with 58.3% of the votes counted, the data showed.

The run-off follows the election’s first round held on Jan. 28 in which Stubb won and Haavisto came second, but no candidate obtained more than 50% of the votes required for direct election.

(Reporting by Essi Lehto and Anne Kauranen in Helsinki, editing by Terje Solsvik in Oslo)