Jutta Urpilainen

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Jutta Urpilainen

Jutta Pauliina Urpilainen (born August 4, 1975 in Lapua) is the current Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP). She was elected in June 2008 as the first female chairman of the SDP.

Born in Lapua in the province of Western Finland, Urpilainen was educated at the University of Jyväskylä, where she graduated as a Master of Education in 2002. She worked as a school teacher until her election to parliament. She was also president of JEF-Finland in 2001.

Urpilainen has been a member of parliament for the Vaasa constituency since 2003. She is a member of the Parliamentary Education and Culture Committee, a deputy member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee. She is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

Urpilainen was elected Chairman in June 2008, succeeding former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Eero Heinäluoma. She won on the second ballot, defeating former Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja by 218 votes to 132.