Finland’s incumbent president is poised for another six years in office as his closest opponent conceded defeat.
President Sauli Niinisto was leading with 63.8% of the votes cast on Sunday while his nearest challenger, Pekka Haavisto of the Greens, had 10.9%.
None of the other six candidates had received more than 7%.
Mr Niinisto needs a majority to prevent a run-off and to win re-election outright.
Mr Haavisto has conceded Mr Niinisto’s victory.
He told Finnish national broadcaster YLE that Mr Niinisto “is the republic’s new president with this result”.
Mr Niinisto, a former finance minister and parliament speaker, has been a highly popular president since he took office in 2012.
He ran as an independent with no association to the conservative National Coalition Party that he earlier chaired.
