Central bank of Finland The governor of Finland, Olli Rehn, announced on Wednesday that he intends to run for president in Finland’s upcoming presidential election and that he will apply for a leave of absence from his current position.

The 61-year-old, who is a member of the ECB’s governing council, announced that he will be taking an annual leave during this period and will not be performing any official tasks as he prepares to run.

He must collect 20,000 signatures before he can formally enter the race.

“I will apply for a leave of absence when hopefully I am nominated as a presidential candidate,” Rehn told a news conference.

Pekka Haavisto, who on Wednesday stepped down as Finnish foreign minister as the government resigned following general elections, recently announced that he was running for president.

Foreign and security policy are among the key constitutional responsibilities of Finnish presidents.

Finland in April joined the NATO military alliance in a historic policy shift brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that drew a threat from Moscow of “counter-measures.”