Finland

Haavisto’s 37.4 percent was the the highest total for any Green running for president anywhere in the world. How did a Green rise to such a level? With a proportional representation electoral system in Finland that allows minority parties to have a real voice in decision-making, the Greens did not necessarily need an impressive showing in the presidential elections to establish credibility among the political establishment or the electorate. Even now the Greens are partners in the current government coalition, with Ville Niinistö serving as Minister of the Envi­ronment, and Heidi Hautala as the Minister of International Development—the second time they’ve been part of the governing coalition in Finland. On the local level, the Greens are very much a force to be reckoned with, including in the city of Helsinki, where they are actually the second-largest party in the City Council.