An item in the Helsingin Sanomat notes that former leader and presidential candidate of the National Coalition Party, Sauli Niinistö, will run for a parliamentary seat from Uusimaa district in the next elections:
The National Coalition Party calculates that Niinistö’s immense popularity could bring him enough personal votes to give the party as many as two extra seats. In Finland’s system of proportional representatives, voters cast ballots for individual candidates; massive personal landslides for popular candidates can have a coattail effect, helping other candidates on the party’s list win election.
Uusimaa is the highest-magnitude district in Finland, with 32 seats (as of 1999). It contains Vantaa and Espoo, two major suburbs of Helsinki.
I also found it interesting that the report says “Niinistö decided to run for Parliament again after he failed to find a suitable international job.” He currently is Vice President of the European investment Bank.
