Finland’s re-elected president sworn in for 6-year term

HELSINKI – Finland’s incumbent president has been sworn in for another six-year term following a landslide election victory.

Sauli Niinisto, a former finance minister and parliament speaker, took the oath of office Thursday at Finland’s Parliament in a ceremony that included a review of troops in a snow storm.

Niinisto, whose second wife is expecting the couple’s first child, scored an overwhelming victory in Sunday’s presidential election winning 62.7 per cent of all votes — getting more than five times the support of his closest challenger.

The 69-year-old Finn has been highly popular since he first took office in 2012.

In Finland, the president designs the blueprint for the country’s foreign and security policy together with the government. He also is the top military commander and can veto legislation.