Social Democrats lead in Finland elections

HELSINKI: Finland’s Social Democratic Party retained a narrow lead to emerge as the top parliamentary election vote-getter on Sunday.

The Social Democrats secured 40 seats in Finland’s 200-member parliament based on a preliminary tally of more than 94 percent of ballots. The eurosceptics won 39 after campaigning on the message that the Finnish government should overdo its efforts to combat climate change.

The election, held six weeks ahead of elections to the Eur­opean Union’s legislature, was being watched for indications of how eurosceptic parties might do across the EU.