To the outside world, Finland’s general election result may not look that dramatic. In Helsinki, however, political commentators see the loss of eight seats in parliament by the once-dominant Social Democratic party as little less than a landslide.

For the first time since 1962, the centre-left party that was considered the natural party of power has been reduced to third place in parliament. Left-leaning parties that would normally expect to have at least half the 200 seats have been reduced to just 62. The result is not just a setback for the Social Democrats: it is also a considerable success for the conservative National Coalition, whose 35-year-old leader Jyrki Katainen has brought his party within one seat of being the largest in the country, just behind the liberal Centre party.