No Gay President For Finland

Finland's openly gay presidential candidate lost his runoff election yesterday.

Sauli Niinisto won 63 percent of the votes, compared to 37 percent for his rival, Greens candidate Pekka Haavisto, official results showed with 100 percent of ballots counted. The 63-year-old Niinisto will be the first president from the conservative National Coalition Party since 1956, and the first in 30 years from a party other than the center-left Social Democrats. He will replace Tarja Halonen, Finland’s only female head of state and one of its most popular leaders, who has served the maximum two six-year terms.