As Finns head to the polls on Sunday, the outcome still remains far from clear

As Finns head to the polls on Sunday, the outcome still remains far from clear. A victory for the conservative opposition leader could see the Nordic country get its first female prime minister. A day before the Finnish general election on Sunday, March 16, the two leading parties are still neck and neck. Recent surveys show that support for the ruling Social Democrats has dropped slightly in the last month, while the center-right opposition Center Party led by ex-lawyer Anneli Jäätteenmäki has gained a slim lead. Since 1995, incumbent Social Democrat Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen has led a "rainbow" coalition, a cooperation between Social Democrats, the Conservative Party, the Left Alliance and the Swedish People's Party. The Greens quit the coalition in May, 2002, after parliament voted to build a new nuclear power plant. A committed European, Lipponen sees Finland's interests best represented within the European Union. He has embraced adoption of the euro, which he believes has helped move the country towards greater fiscal stability.