Home > Statistics > Presidential elections > 2006 > Preliminary data. First round. Tarja Halonen and Sauli Niinistö made it to the second round of the Presidential election 2006

Published: 16 January 2006

Preliminary data. First round. Tarja Halonen and Sauli Niinistö made it to the second round of the Presidential election 2006

In the first round of the Presidential election, the two candidates who received the highest numbers of votes were Tarja Halonen and Sauli Niinistö. Tarja Halonen, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party received 1,396,161 votes, thus winning the first round with 46.3 per cent of all votes cast. Sauli Niinistö, the candidate of the National Coalition Party was second with 24.1 per cent of all votes cast. He gained 725,213 votes. The difference between the two candidates with most votes cast was 670,948 votes and 22.2 percentage points.

Matti Vanhanen came third with 561,556 votes cast, i.e. 18.6 per cent of the accepted ballots. The support for Vanhanen remained clearly lower than that gained by the party nominating him, the Centre Party of Finland (24.7%) in the previous Parliamentary elections.

The other five candidates together gained just 11 per cent of all votes cast: Hautala 3.5 per cent, Soini 3.4 per cent, Kallis 2.0 per cent, Lax 1.6 per cent and Lahti 0.4 per cent.

Support for the presidential candidates in the Presidential election 2006, first round, and support for the corresponding party in the Parliamentary elections 2003

The numbers of votes cast for Tarja Halonen and Sauli Niinistö were considerably higher in the first round of the elections than the support gained by the parties they represent in the previous Parliamentary elections 2003. The support for Halonen was 11.9 percentage points greater than the combined support for the Social Democratic Party and the Left Alliance and 21.8 percentage points higher than the support for the Social Democratic Party in 2003.
The support for Niinistö was 5.5 percentage points higher than that of the National Coalition Party in the Parliamentary elections 2003.

Voting turnout remained lower than in the previous Presidential election

The voting turnout of Finnish citizens living in Finland was 73.9 per cent. It was 3 percentage points lower than in the first round of the 2000 Presidential election.

Voting was most active in the constituency of Uusimaa (77.1%) and in the constituency of Helsinki (76.3%). After the constituency of Åland (57.5%), voting turnout remained lowest in the constituencies of North Karelia (68.8%) and North Savo (69.6%). Voting was most active in Kauniainen (87.3%) and least active (excl. municipalities of Åland) in Rautavaara in the constituency of North Savo (60.5%).

The total number of eligible voters was 4,272,537 including those entitled to vote who live abroad. The number of eligible voters living in Finland was 4,063,392 and of those living abroad 209,145.

In all Statistics Finland's statistical tables by municipality and constituency the voting turnout is calculated from the votes cast by Finnish citizens resident in Finland.

Source: Election Statistics, Presidential election 2006. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Mr Risto Lättilä +358 9 1734 3252, vaalit.tilastokeskus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Ms Riitta Harala

Links: Press release related to this statistical release.

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Last updated 16.1.2006