Finland’s recent local and regional elections have delivered a significant victory for the Social Democratic Party (Suomen sosialidemokraattinen puolue, SDP), marking a notable shift in the political landscape. With 100% of the votes counted as Yle reports, the SDP emerged as the party with the most votes nationwide, garnering 23.0% support—a remarkable increase of 5.3 percentage points compared to the 2021 municipal elections.
The centre-right National Coalition Party (Kansallinen Kokoomus) maintained its standing as the second-largest political force, securing 21.9% of the vote, a marginal rise of 0.5 percentage points. Meanwhile, the Centre Party (Suomen Keskusta), despite ranking third in terms of total votes (16.4%), remains the party with the highest number of mandates, largely due to its dominance in sparsely populated rural areas.
Finns Party loses half its support amid voter dissatisfaction
One of the most striking outcomes of the elections was the dramatic collapse of the nationalist Finns Party (Perussuomalaiset). Once a dominant force in national politics and a key partner in the current government, the party secured only 7.6% of the vote—a staggering drop of 6.8 percentage points from its 2021 result. The party has now fallen to sixth place and lost over half of its municipal council seats.
Finns Party leader and current Finance Minister Riikka Purra acknowledged the setback, attributing the poor performance to the burdens of Government responsibility and unpopular austerity policies. She maintained, however, that the party’s participation in the coalition government remains unchanged: “Election results and government cooperation are two separate things.”
Urban support drives Social Democrats’ success
SDP leader Antti Lindtman celebrated the victory with party members in Helsinki, thanking candidates and staff while offering pointed criticism of the current government’s policies. He emphasized that the results indicate a public demand for policy change, particularly regarding healthcare and labour reforms.
“It is obvious that the election results will affect the Government’s work. The Government should review its decisions, especially the extension of the care guarantee from two weeks to three months,” Lindtman stated.
He suggested that the electorate’s discontent could reshape dynamics within the governing coalition.
Coalition stability at risk as internal tensions grow
The election outcomes have intensified pressure on Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s coalition, which includes the National Coalition Party, the Finns Party, the Swedish People’s Party (Svenska folkpartiet, SFP), and the Christian Democrats (Suomen Kristillisdemokraatit, KD). While SFP leader Anders Adlercreutz expressed satisfaction with his party’s performance despite a minor decline, he warned that future government cooperation could be challenging if internal divisions widen.
“It’s always easier to collaborate in a Government when all parties are doing well,” Adlercreutz noted, cautioning that the upcoming mid-term budget review could expose deeper fractures.
Green League and Left Alliance make moderate gains
Beyond the main headlines, the Green League (Vihreä liitto) retained its support with 10.5% of the vote, while the Left Alliance (Vasemmistoliitto) saw a modest increase to 9.3%. The Swedish People’s Party slipped slightly to 4.7%, particularly underperforming in urban centres like Helsinki.
The centrist liberal Liike Nyt (Movement Now), once seen as a rising outsider, suffered a major blow, losing three-quarters of its support and over half of its council seats. The Christian Democrats held steady at 3.6%.
Implications for the future of Finnish politics
With two years remaining until the next general election, these local election results are likely to resonate in national debates. The strong showing by the Socialdemocrats not only signals voter dissatisfaction with austerity but also positions the party as a leading contender for future leadership.
For the Finns Party, rebuilding trust and clarifying its policy agenda may be critical to regaining public confidence. As the governing coalition braces for difficult decisions on economic policy and welfare, the election results have laid bare the challenges of sustaining unity under growing political and social pressures.
