Ex-NCP party chair Alexander Stubb took to the stage at the party’s annual congress to thank his challengers Petteri Orpo and Elina Lepomäki for the leadership contest that saw Interior Minister Orpo emerge as new chair and Finance Minister.
Stubb expressed gratitude to rank and file party members for their support during his two years as party chair. He also offered a few words of advice to his new party leader, concluding on a lighter note with three important tips, much to the amusement of the delegates gathered in Lappeenranta.
"As the outgoing chair to the sitting chair, [I have] three bits of advice. First, make sure you’ve got your percentages right. Second, avoid wearing shorts, and third, if children ask you to, always go on the dartboard," Stubb declared, referring to three of his more prominent moments of media infamy in Finland.
Stubb's slips stir up a frenzy
The first word of caution harked back to a furore that arose when he mis-stated the level of support for controversial securities depository legislation, saying that it was 90 percent instead of the actual 10 percent. He later binned the highly unpopular proposal.
The second dated back to early in his career as party chair when, following his summer election to replace Jyrki Katainen as NCP leader and prime minister, he turned up for a press conference in August 2014 wearing shorts and flip-flops and riding a bicycle.
The third refers to another incident that same month, when at the behest of children present, he agreed to become a dartboard target at a theme park.
Emotional remarks for family members
Stubb’s farewell took on a more serious note when, speaking in Swedish, he expressed his appreciation to his father, Göran Stubb, an influential figure in Finnish ice hockey circles.
"Without your support, my family and I would not have survived the past two years. You are the best father in the world and I hope to one day be as good a father as you are," Stubb said.
Stubb, who speaks five languages, then switched to English to address his wife Suzanne Innes-Stubb. The ex-party chair tearfully thanked his partner for her support during difficult times.
"Suzanne, we’ve been together for the better part of 22 years, and when we started our journey I remember you saying that our life would never be dull. Holy smokes, it sure hasn’t been! It’s been a wonderful journey and I’m so thankful for your love, for your caring and what you’ve given to me over those dark nights when I haven’t been able to sleep and I’ve started to cry because of the pressure," Stubb said.
"You’ve always been there, you’ve been there for me and you’ve been there … through good times and through bad times. But I do promise you one thing. From now on I will be a better husband and I will be a better father. I love you," Stubb added.
Personal attacks
During his short time in the driver’s seat of the country’s co-governing NCP, the strongly pro-EU Stubb managed to heat up temperatures among Finns with his colourful personal style, body-consciousness and social media savvy.
In recent times Stubb also came under personal attack, as his home was targeted by vandals and an irate member of the public doused him with a cola drink at a shopping mall event in Tampere.
Delegates no doubt hope that Orpo, who is decidedly more stolid and deliberate, may help revive the conservative party’s fortunes and drum up support for the government's policies, particularly among ordinary Finnish voters.