Political researcher Ville Pernaa says the survey shows the extent of Urpilainen’s difficulties as she tries to fend off a leadership challenge from Pro Trade Union chair Antti Rinne. In the Yle poll his support among party delegates was 43 percent, with 28 percent undecided.
The SDP is due to select a new leader at a party conference in May, with Rinne the main challenger to current chair Urpilainen. He has emphasised the Finnish labour market in his campaign so far, saying that the Social Democrats have strayed too far from their roots.
The director of Parliament’s research centre, Ville Pernaa, told Yle that such low support for a party leader had not been seen for three decades.
"It even brings to mind the possibility that if the situation doesn’t change, maybe Urpilainen will throw in the towel before the party conference," said Pernaa.
Historic slump
Under Urpilainen's leadership, the SDP has slumped to historically low levels of support in the polls. In the last monthly Yle poll, in January, 15.5 percent of respondents said they support the party.
In the 2011 parliamentary election, the party drew 19.1 percent support which was itself down on the last election before Urpilainen took the reins as leader: in 2007 the party was backed by 21.44 percent of voters in the parliamentary election.
Yle’s Ajankohtainen Kakkonen programme asked candidates and delegates from the nine regional SDP organisations for their views on the leadership election. They received 500 answers, with a response rate of 76 percent.