Tsunami survivor Niinistoe wins Finnish presidency

HELSINKI: Sauli Niinistoe, a conservative pro-European who won Finland's presidential election on Sunday, romanced an ex-beauty queen and survived the Indian Ocean tsunami by climbing a tree.

But if it was his time as finance minister that earned Niinistoe widespread respect and credibility, it is the dramatic events in his personal life that may have taken the edge off his no-nonsense attitude and endeared him to voters.
The veteran politician lost his wife of more than 20 years and the mother of his two sons in 1995 to a tragic road accident.

Nine years later, he narrowly escaped the tsunami in Thailand by climbing a tree with his younger son.
Before marrying his party's spokeswoman, 29 years his junior, in 2009, Niinistoe was engaged to an ex-beauty queen turned parliamentarian, although that relationship ended a year after the engagement.

Beyond the personal drama, the 63-year-old earned credibility through his role in pulling Finland from the abyss of recession in the 1990s.

"It was one of the high points of his political career and people remember him fondly for this," Turku University parliamentary researcher Ville Pernaa said.

Helsinki University political science professor Tuomo Martikainen agreed, pointing out that for many Finns, "Niinistoe represents practical economic expertise."

The presidential campaign, set against the backdrop of the eurozone crisis, focused on Niinistoe's unwavering support for the common currency, which was introduced in Finland while he was finance minister from 1996 to 2003.

The avid rollerskater's broad political experience - he served not only as finance minister, but also as justice minister and deputy prime minister - also won him endorsements from most of the candidates who did not make it to the second round.

Niinistoe won Sunday's election with a broad lead over his Greens contender Pekka Haavisto, as predicted by opinion polls.

Described by some as impatient and rude, and by others as honest and forthright, Niinistoe may however have a shortcoming in foreign policy.

"The role of the president calls for relations with the wider world," Jan Sundberg, a Helsinki University political science professor, told AFP.

But Niinistoe lacks experience in "areas relating to the environment, developing countries or Asian economies," said the professor.

The role of president has been gradually cut back in Finland over the years, with control over EU policy recently handed over to the government.

But the president is still involved in other foreign policy matters, in conjunction with the government.
The last of four children born to working class parents in southwestern Finland, Niinistoe earned his law degree from Turku University.