“For the first time since 1999 we are the largest party in Finland … SDP is the prime minister party,” Antti Rinne said after more than 99.5% of votes were counted.
The nationalist, Eurosceptic Finns party was in second place with 17.5%, according to nearly complete results published by the justice ministry.
If final results confirm the outcome, Rinnecould become Finland’s first leftwing prime minister since 2003
It is the first time in more than a century that no party has won more than 20% of the vote.
Voter turnout was 72%.
The SDP won 40 seats in the 200-seat parliament, one more than the Finns Party.
Since the last election four years ago, Finland has been governed by a three-party coalition, consisting of Centre Party, Finns Party and the National Coalition.
The coalition was thrown into turmoil in 2017 when the populist Finns Party elected Jussi Halla-aho as its new chief.
Finland’s prime minister, Juha Sipila, refused to govern with the party if controversial Halla-aho remained as its head.
But the coalition survived after 20 of Finns Party’s MPs, including all those serving in the cabinet, defected to form a party that would later become Blue Reform.
Then, in March this year, a fresh crisis erupted.
Sipila and the whole government resigned after failing to get major healthcare and welfare reforms through parliament.
Some experts say the resignation was a politically-calculated move ahead of this month’s elections.
Curiously, after quitting, Sipila was reappointed to head up a caretaker government by the country’s president.
A quick guide to the key parties in Finnish politics
Centre Party: As you might expect, a centrist, liberal party. It led Finland’s governing coalition after getting the biggest share of votes in 2015.Finns Party: Right-wing populists who governed in the three-party coalition until being forced out two years ago.
National Coalition: The final coalition member, a centre-right party that has been a mainstay in Finnish politics for decades.
Blue Reform: A new movement that broke away from the Finns Party in 2017. It replaced them in the governing coalition.
Green League: Finland’s main environmental party, which only got 8.5% of the vote in 2015 but is expected to improve on that this time around.
Social Democrats: The party suffered its worst result at the 2015 election but is tipped for a comeback this time around.
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