FILE PHOTO: Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto looks on during the signing of the joint statement of Finland and the United States on cooperation in advanced wireless communications (6G) with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Helsinki, Finland June 2, 2023. Lehtikuva/via REUTERS
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said on Thursday he will run for president in next year's election, hoping to succeed Sauli Niinisto who is stepping down after two terms.
It will be Green Party member Haavisto's third attempt at becoming Finland's head of state, having been the runner-up in both 2012 and 2018.
"Recently, many Finns from very different backgrounds have contacted me and appealed for me to become a candidate in next January's presidential election," Haavisto told a press conference.
(Reporting by Essi Lehto, editing by Terje Solsvik)
