Social Democrats party wins general elections in Finland

Finland's leftist Social Democrats have recorded a razor-thin victory in yesterday's general elections, holding off the far-right Finns Party. With 100 per cent of ballots counted, the Social Democrats, led by Antti Rinne, bagged 40 seats in the 200-member Parliament, while the Finns Party picked up 39 seats. The National Coalition Party claimed 38 seats, with the ruling Centre Party winning 31 seats. The remaining seats



were won by other parties.

Outgoing Prime Minister Juha Sipila said, his Centre party was the election's biggest loser, blaming the difficult economic decisions his administration made in an attempt to rebalance the economy. The Social Democrats will head a government for the first time in 16 years, though it has been a junior coalition member since then.