The two leading candidates represent the left and right-wings of Finnish politics, but the far-right candidate has made progress in recent polls.
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00:00 Voting began in Finland on Sunday morning, with citizens able to cast their ballots for
00:05 one of nine candidates aspiring to be the Nordic nation's 13th president.
00:11 Advance voting started earlier this month, and the country's election commission reports
00:16 that more than 1.8 million people, or 44% of eligible voters, made their choice ahead
00:22 of Sunday's main vote.
00:25 The two leading contenders, Alex Stubb from the far-right-wing National Coalition Party
00:30 and Green politician Pekka Havisto, both have a wealth of foreign policy experience, an
00:36 important qualification for the role, which is largely ceremonial.
00:40 Recent polls have put Stubb and Havisto within a few percentage points of each other.
00:45 Neither candidate is likely to get more than 50% in the first round, and so there will
00:50 almost certainly be a second round vote in February.
00:58 [SWOOSH]