The Social Democratic Party (SDP) elected Antti Lindtman, the party's parliamentary group chair, as its new leader at the party's meeting in Jyväskylä on Friday.
Former Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) previously served as the party's chair but announced that she would be stepping down shortly after the general election this past spring.
Lindtman received 12,546 votes from party members while long-time minister Krista Kiuru (SDP) received 3,587 votes. Lindtman narrowly lost against Marin in the December 2019 race for the party's leadership seat after Antti Rinne stepped down.
The SDP is the largest opposition party in the Finnish Parliament and came third in this year's parliamentary election, giving up the prime ministerial post and its spot in government.
In her farewell speech on Friday, Marin reflected on her time as Prime Minister and thanked Finland for its unanimous support of Ukraine.
"We took the historic decision to apply for Nato in order to guarantee Finland's security under all circumstances. Finland has strongly condemned the Russian aggression and has supported Ukraine in many ways, both on its own and as part of the EU," Marin said.
In his acceptance speech, Lindtman expressed his "greatest gratitude" to Marin.
Lindtman added that the party is very proud of the leadership Marin showed during her time at the helm. He also thanked Marin for leading the party to a kind of electoral victory after gaining 3 more seats in parliament this year, despite losing the top spot.
"It's hard to find words for the respect and thanks you deserve," he said to Marin.
Lindtman also stressed that SDP is a party with strong values working for progress.
"Thank you for this trust," the newly elected party chair told the crowd of supporters.
In addition to a new chair, the party will also elect deputy chairs and a new party secretary on Saturday.
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