After weeks of speculation and uncertainty, this afternoon's decision of party delegates was reportedly unanimous. Finland's new finance minister and deputy prime minister will be the SDP's new leader Antti Rinne. He will take up the posts as early as next week.
Meanwhile Jutta Urpilainen—who Rinne also ousted from the party chair—will step down from government to focus on her role as a backbench MP. Other SDP cabinet posts won't be reshuffled.
Rinne is known for wanting the state to play a larger role in getting the economy back on track and is against privatization—which brought him head to head with his predecessor yesterday over plans to sell off government-owned companies including the producer of Finland's beloved Koskenkorva liquor.
And after the SDP's tough-fought leadership battle, the cracks within the party are still on show. This morning former Social Democrat MP Arja Alho described the party's euro election results as shocking and accused the party of having lost its way.