Social Democratic Party of Finland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Social Democratic Party of Finland Sosialidemokraatit  (Finnish) Socialdemokraterna  (Swedish)
Abbreviation	SDP SD
Chairperson	Antti Lindtman
Secretary	Mikkel Näkkäläjärvi
General Secretary	Kari Anttila [fi]
Parliamentary group leader	Tytti Tuppurainen
First deputy chair	Nasima Razmyar
Founded	20 July 1899; 125 years ago (1899-07-20)
Headquarters	Siltasaarenkatu 18–20C, 00530 Helsinki
Newspaper	Demokraatti
Think tank	Kalevi Sorsa Foundation [fi]
Student wing	Social Democratic Students
Youth wing	Social Democratic Youth
Women's wing	Social Democratic Women in Finland [fi]
Children’s wing	Nuoret Kotkat [fi]
Swedish-speaking wing	Finlands Svenska Socialdemokrater [fi]
Membership (2021)	29,450
Ideology	Social democracy
Political position	Centre-left
European affiliation	Party of European Socialists
International affiliation	Progressive Alliance Socialist International
European Parliament group	Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
Nordic affiliation	SAMAK The Social Democratic Group
Colours	Red
Anthem	Työväen marssi [fi]
Eduskunta	43 / 200
European Parliament	2 / 15
Municipalities	1,451 / 8,859
County seats	277 / 1,379
Elections

The Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP) is a major political party in Finland. It is known for its focus on social fairness and being supportive of the European Union. The SDP is currently the third largest party in the Parliament of Finland, holding 43 seats.

The party was started in 1899 as the Workers' Party of Finland. This makes it the oldest active political party in Finland. It works closely with Finnish trade unions, which are groups that protect workers' rights. The SDP is also part of larger European and international political groups.

In 2019, Sanna Marin became Finland's Prime Minister. She led a government made up of several parties, including the SDP. In 2023, Antti Lindtman was chosen as the new leader of the party.

A Look Back: The SDP's History

The SDP's party conference in Oulu in 1906.

The party began as the Workers' Party of Finland in 1899. Their first meeting was held in Turku. Early on, the party pushed for important changes. These included better rights for workers, freedom of speech, and an 8-hour workday. They also wanted to help tenant farmers.

In 1903, the party changed its name to the Social Democratic Party of Finland. They also created the "Forssa Programme." This plan called for an 8-hour workday, a minimum wage, and required education for everyone. This program guided the party's goals for many years.

The SDP became very popular after Finland introduced universal voting rights in 1906. In the 1916 election, the party won a majority of seats in parliament. This was the only time in Finland's history that one party held a majority. However, they lost this majority in the next election.

Finland faced a difficult time with the Finnish Civil War in 1918. Many SDP leaders were killed or imprisoned. After the war, Väinö Tanner helped rebuild the party. He worked to make the SDP a respected governing party again.

During World War II, the SDP played a key role in uniting the country. They worked with other parties to protect Finland from threats. After the war, the SDP focused on defending Finland's independence and democracy.

SDP municipal election poster from 1933 ("Municipal power to those who work").

In the 1995 election, the SDP won a big victory. Their leader, Paavo Lipponen, served as Prime Minister for two terms. During this time, the party strongly supported Finland joining the European Union in 1995.

In the 2011 election, the SDP had its lowest result ever, winning 42 seats. However, they still became the second-largest party. They then joined a six-party government.

In 2019, the SDP became the largest party in parliament again. Antti Rinne became Prime Minister. But he resigned later that year. Sanna Marin then took over as Prime Minister in December 2019. She was the youngest Prime Minister in Finland's history. After the 2023 election, Antti Lindtman became the new party leader.

What the SDP Believes In

The SDP is a social-democratic party, which means it is on the centre-left of politics.

The party's main ideas and goals include:

• Sustainable Development: Protecting the environment for the future.
• Equality: Making sure everyone has fair chances.
• Peace and Cooperation: Working together for a better world.
• Freedom and Solidarity: Supporting individual freedoms and helping each other.
• Clean Environment: Protecting nature.
• Democratic Socialism: Believing in democracy and social fairness.

The SDP also supports the values of humanism and the achievements of the Nordic model. The Nordic model is a way of organizing society that focuses on strong public services and social welfare.

In the early 1900s, the party was very focused on workers' rights and social issues. For a long time, it was one of the most powerful socialist parties in Europe.

Before 2022, the party did not want Finland to join NATO. They preferred to stay neutral. However, after the 2022 events in Ukraine, the party changed its mind and supported joining NATO.

The SDP supports many modern issues, such as:

• LGBT Rights: Supporting equal rights for all people.
• Nuclear Power: Building nuclear power plants for energy.
• Swedish Language: Keeping Swedish as one of Finland's official languages.
• Public Schools: Increasing funding for public schools and universities.
• Coal-Free Finland: Working to stop using coal for energy by 2030.

The party also wants to increase work-based immigration to Finland. This is to help with the country's labor shortage and low birth rate. The SDP works closely with trade unions to protect workers' benefits. They also support keeping the church and state separate.

Who Votes for the SDP?

The average age of someone who is a member of the SDP is about 61.5 years old. More than half of all people who vote for the SDP are actively working.

Symbols and Posters

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  Logo used between 2010 and 2015.

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  An older logo of the party.

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  A Social Democratic Party poster from 1972.

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  A "TYÖ" (Work) poster used in 2011 and 2012 elections.

Important Social Democrats

Many important people in Finnish politics have been members of the SDP. Here are a few:

Leaders of the Social Democrats

Antti Rinne, who led the Social Democratic Party of Finland from 2014 to 2020.

The SDP has had many leaders throughout its history. Here are some of them:

How the SDP Has Done in Elections

The SDP has participated in many elections in Finland. Their support has changed over the years.

Parliament of Finland Elections

The chart below shows the percentage of votes the SDP has received in parliamentary elections over time.

Here are the results from the most recent parliamentary elections:

Parliament of Finland
Election	Popular vote				Number of seats			Status
	Votes	%	± pp	Rank	Seats	+/–	Rank
2011	561,558	19.10	2.34	2nd	42 / 200	3	2nd	Coalition
2015	490,102	16.51	2.59	4th	34 / 200	8	4th	Opposition
2019	546,471	17.73	1.22	1st	40 / 200	6	1st	Coalition
2023	616,218	19.93	2.20	3rd	43 / 200	3	3rd	Opposition

European Parliament Elections

The SDP also takes part in elections for the European Parliament.

Parliament of Finland
Year	Popular vote				Number of seats
	Votes	%	± pp	Rank	Seats	+/–	Rank
2014	212,211	12.31%	5.23	4th	2 / 13	0	2nd
2019	267,342	14.62%	2.31	2nd	2 / 13	0	2nd
2024	272,034	14.87%	0.25	3rd	2 / 15	0	3rd

Presidential Elections

The SDP has had candidates in presidential elections, both indirect (where electors vote) and direct (where people vote directly).

Direct Presidential Elections

Here are the results for direct presidential elections:

Presidency of the Republic of Finland
Year	Candidate	1st round				2nd round				Results
		Votes	%	± pp	Rank	Votes	%	± pp	Rank
1994	Martti Ahtisaari	828,038	25.91	22.99	1st	1,723,485	53.85	5.85	1st	Won
2000	Tarja Halonen	1,224,431	40.03	14.12	1st	1,644,532	51.63	2.22	1st	Won
2006	Tarja Halonen	1,397,030	46.31	6.28	1st	1,630,980	51.79	0.16	1st	Won
2012	Paavo Lipponen	205,020	6.70	39.61	5th					Lost
2018	Tuula Haatainen	97,294	3.25	3.45	6th					Lost
2024	Jutta Urpilainen	140,802	4.34	1.09	6th					Lost