European Commission President Jean Claude Junker labelled the re-election for a second term by Finland’s Incumbent President Sauli Niinistö historic. In a congratulatory letter to the re-elected Finnish President, Mr Juncker points out that “the EU has turned the page into the financial and economic crisis and we are now having strong economic growth across the Union”. The EC President notes, however, that “geopolitical challenges remain in our neighbourhood, making European cooperation and joint efforts more important than ever.” Niinistö, who ran without a party affiliation, secured 62.7 percent of the vote, meaning he will avoid going into a runoff election — the first time a presidential candidate has done so since Finland switched to a two-round system based on popular vote in 1994.