Tributes have been paid to Finnish MP Eemeli Peltonen, who was found dead in the country’s parliament building in Helsinki. The 30-year-old Social Democratic Party (SDP) politician died at around 11am on Tuesday, with police confirming they do not suspect foul play.
Tytti Tuppurainen, chair of the SDP parliamentary group, described Peltonen as “a much-loved member of our community” whose “young life has ended far too early”. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo suspended all official political work by his office for the rest of the day.
Orpo arranged a minute’s silence, saying the news was “truly shocking” and that Peltonen was popular among colleagues. Speaker of parliament Jussi Halla-aho expressed condolences on behalf of the House, calling Peltonen “a well-liked and respected colleague across party lines”.
Peltonen began his political career as a teenage city councillor in 2013 and later served as chairman of Järvenpää council. He was elected to parliament in 2023 after an unsuccessful bid in 2019. In late June, he revealed he was on sick leave recovering from a kidney infection.
