Voters Elect Nation’s 1st Female President

Finnish voters elected their first female president after a tight runoff race that focused more on personalities than issues. With nearly all of the votes counted, Tarja Halonen of the Finnish Social Democratic Party had 51.6% to former Prime Minister Esko Aho’s 48.4%. Halonen takes office March 1 for a six-year term. Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen said he will appoint another Social Democrat to replace Halonen as foreign minister. Aho, of the main opposition Center party, conceded defeat on national television. The race was largely issue-free; the presidency is a mostly symbolic post.