Sanna Marin


Sanna Mirella Marin is a Finnish politician who has been Prime Minister of Finland since 10 December 2019. A member of the Social Democratic Party, she has been a member of the Parliament of Finland since 2015, and served as the Minister of Transport and Communications from 6 June to 10 December 2019. After Antti Rinne's resignation in the wake of the 2019 postal strike, Marin became prime minister on 8 December 2019. At 34, she is the second-youngest serving state leader, the youngest female state leader, and Finland's youngest-ever prime minister.

Early life and education

Sanna Mirella Marin was born on 16 November 1985 in Helsinki. She also lived in Espoo and Pirkkala before moving to Tampere. Her parents split up when she was very young; the family faced financial problems and Marin's father Lauri Marin struggled with alcoholism. After her parents separated, Marin was brought up by her mother and her female partner.
Marin graduated from the Pirkkala High School in 2004 at the age of 19. Marin joined the Social Democratic Youth in 2006 and served as its first Vice President from 2010 to 2012. She worked in a bakery and as a cashier while studying, graduating with bachelor's and master's degrees in Administrative Science from the University of Tampere.

Career

Marin's political career was described by the BBC as "beginning at the age of 20", in the years following her high school graduation and beginning her affiliation with the Social Democratic Youth. She initially unsuccessfully ran for election to the City Council of Tampere, but was elected in the 2012 elections. She became chairperson of the City Council within months, serving from 2013 to 2017. In 2017, she was re-elected to the City Council. She first gained prominence after video clips of her chairing contentious meetings were shared on YouTube.
Marin was elected second deputy chairperson of the Social Democratic Party in 2014. In 2015, she was elected to the Finnish Parliament as an MP from the electoral district of Pirkanmaa. Four years later, she was re-elected. On 6 June 2019, she became the Minister of Transport and Communications.

Prime Minister of Finland

In December 2019, Marin was nominated by the Social Democratic Party to succeed Antti Rinne as the Prime Minister of Finland, but Rinne formally remained party leader until June 2020. In a narrow vote, Marin prevailed over Antti Lindtman.
A majority of the ministers in her five-party cabinet are women, numbering 12 out of 19 at the time of the cabinet's formation. She is the third female head of government in Finland, after Anneli Jäätteenmäki and Mari Kiviniemi.
Upon her confirmation by Parliament at the age of 34, she became Finland's youngest-ever prime minister, and was the youngest serving state leader until Sebastian Kurz regained the title in January 2020
During the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Marin's cabinet invoked the state of emergency in Finland to alleviate the epidemic.

Personal life

Marin describes herself as coming from a "rainbow family" as she was raised by same-sex parents. She was also the first person in her family to attend university.
In January 2018, she and her fiancé, Markus Räikkönen, had a daughter, Emma.
Their permanent residence is in the Kaleva district of Tampere, but during the 2020 pandemic, they reside at the Prime Minister's official residence Kesäranta in Helsinki.
Marin is a vegetarian.