The opposition Social Democrats have declared themselves the winner of the parliamentary elections in Finland, despite a scant result. "For the first time since 1999, the SDP is the party of the head of government," said party leader Antti Rinne on Sunday evening before supporters. After counting more than 98 percent of all votes cast, the Social Democrats receive 40 of the 200 seats in parliament - just one more than the anti-immigration party The Finns.
After counting about half of the votes it had previously looked as if the Finns with the Center Party of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä a head-to-head race for third place delivered. Sipilä declared early on the "biggest loser" of the evening.
"I would not have expected such a result, no one would have expected," said the ultra-right boss of the party The Finns, Jussi Halla-aho, on Sunday evening. His party is, according to the partial results, only 0.1 percentage point3 behind the Social Democrats. In the election campaign, The Finns had focused on an alleged immigration-based security risk.
Should the narrow victory of the Social Democrats be confirmed, Rinne will be commissioned to form a government. If the 56-year-old ex-Finance Minister and former trade union leader can forge a coalition, it would be the first time in 16 years that the Social Democrats would come back to power.
Sipila's government resigned in March because the coalition was unable to agree on a major social and health reform package. However, at the request of President Sauli Niinistö, the government remains in office until the appointment of a successor government.
The right-wing populist Finns had surprisingly become the third strongest force in the 2011 election. After another success in the 2015 election, the party joined the center-right government and was then forced into governmental responsibility for political concessions.
Halla-aho became party leader of the Finnish party in 2017 and provided a right-footer. Prime Minister Sipilä then announced the government alliance. A majority of the Finns faction then split off and declared their willingness to remain in the government.