Finland's election

Finland's Social Democrats party seals narrow election win

Finland's leftist Social Democrats party has won the general election by a thin margin, capturing two more seats than the nationalist Finns Party, according to final results from the justice ministry.

The results reflect a mounting sense of insecurity in the Nordic nation over immigration, welfare and climate change.

Tipped to win, the opposition Social Democrats scored 17.7 percent, winning 40 seats in the 200-seat parliament, while their eurosceptic Finns Party rivals were at 17.5 percent - 38 seats - after Sunday's election.

The joint ruling Centre Party of Prime Minister Juha Sipila and centre-right National Coalition stood at 13.8 percent and 17 percent, respectively, marking the first time in a century that no party won more than 20 percent in a general election.

With a fragmented parliament and deep divisions within the mainstream parties over how to tackle rising costs of expensive public services, coalition talks following the election could be protracted.