Brussels, 23/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - Two pro-European candidates will be contesting the second round of the Finnish presidential elections on 5 February. On Sunday 22 January, the Finns put Conservative candidate Niinistö ahead, with 37% of the vote, followed by Ecologist Pekka Haavisto, with 18.8%. One of the two candidates will take over from the popular Social Democrat, Tarja Halonen, who has completed two successive six-year mandates. Eurosceptic candidates, such as Paavo Väyrynen from the Centre Party and Timo Soini from the nationalists had 17.5% and 9.4% respectively and have been eliminated from the presidential race. Much of the presidential campaign has focused on the country's European policy. Niinistö and Haavisto have both defended the EU and the eurozone, while Väyrynen and Soini have been severely critical in this respect. (CG/transl.fl)