The National Coalition Party (NCP) will ask its former leader and ex Prime Minister Alexander Stubb to stand as its candidate in next year's presidential election.
Current party chair, and Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo made the announcement on Monday afternoon following the conclusion of a party leadership meeting, noting that the decision was unanimous.
"He is clearly the strongest of our very good candidates, and we are prepared to work hard for him," Orpo said.
Stubb has previously ruled himself out of the running on several occasions, but said he will seriously consider his position if the NCP asks him to be their candidate.
Stubb served as PM from 2014 to 2015 before the NCP came second to the Centre Party in the 2015 parliamentary elections. He then served as Finance Minister in the Juha Sipilä-led administration before losing a party leadership contest to Orpo at the NCP's 2016 party conference.
Following a stint as Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, Stubb has worked as Professor of the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute in Florence.
If he accepts the party's nomination, Stubb will enter the race alongside current favourite Pekka Haavisto (Green), Bank of Finland governor Olli Rehn, former Finns Party leader Jussi Halla-aho, and foreign policy expert Mika Aaltola, among others.
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