Eemeli Peltonen was named as the lawmaker who died by suicide in Finland’s parliament.
Peltonen, 30, was a member of parliament from the Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP) and was serving in his first term, representing the constituency of Uusimaa.
“The death of Eemeli Peltonen deeply shocks me and all of us,” said SDP parliamentary group chair Tytti Tuppurainen in a statement, originally in Finnish.
“He was a very well-liked member of our community, and we will miss him greatly. A young life has ended far too soon. We share in the grief of his loved ones and wish them strength in the midst of their sorrow.”
In Peltonen’s final post on his Instagram account, he had spoken of receiving treatment for kidney disease and then contracting a secondary infection, which had caused him to take medical leave from his parliamentary role.
Eemeli Peltonen/Instagram
Peltonen was elected to parliament in the 2023 elections with 5,747 votes, and he served on its administration and legal affairs committees, Ilta-Sanomat reported.
He was also a member of the Järvenpää City Council and the Chairman of the City Board—the youngest in its history—having first been elected to the authority at 18 years old.
Antti Kaikkonen, a Finnish MP and chair of the Centre Party, who previously served as defense minister, paid tribute to Peltonen in a post on X, calling him “a talented young Member of Parliament.”
“I also came to know him as a warm and sympathetic person. The news of Eemeli’s passing is shocking and deeply saddening,” Kaikkonen said, originally in Finnish.
“I extend my deepest condolences to Eemeli’s family and loved ones. Wishing them strength in their great sorrow.”
Finland’s Iltalehti newspaper had first reported that a lawmaker had died by suicide in the parliament building on Tuesday, August 19.
Aaro Toivonen, director of s