Finnish MP Eemeli Peltonen Found Dead in Parliament Building in Apparent Suicide

Finnish MP Eemeli Peltonen, 30, has been found dead inside his country’s parliament

Finnish parliamentarian Eemeli Peltonen, 30, has been found dead inside Finland’s Parliament Building in Helsinki after reportedly taking his own life. The Social Democratic Party lawmaker had been on medical leave while undergoing treatment for a serious kidney condition.

According to officials, police were called to parliament shortly after 11 a.m. on Tuesday following reports that a member of parliament had died by suicide inside the building. Peltonen was later identified as the deceased.

Peltonen, who was elected in 2023, had been suffering from kidney disease

“The passing of Eemeli Peltonen deeply shocks me and all of us,” said Tytti Tuppurainen, chairwoman of the SDP parliamentary group. “He was a much-loved member of our community and we will miss him deeply. A young life has ended far too early.”

Authorities have not released the exact circumstances surrounding his death.

Police were called to the Finnish parliament building in Helsinki on Tuesday morning

Peltonen had publicly shared his health struggles in June, explaining that he had been diagnosed with minimal change disease and was receiving treatment at Helsinki University Hospital. While initially discharged to recover at home, he later contracted a bacterial infection during treatment and began an extended course of intravenous antibiotics. Peltonen said at the time that he was focusing fully on his recovery.

Elected to parliament in 2023 to represent the Uusimaa region, Peltonen began his political career at age 18 when he was elected to his local city council. He held a master’s degree in political science from the University of Helsinki.