Sanna Marin

Background:

Sanna Mirella Marin (born November 16, 1985) is a Finnish politician who has been the country’s Prime Minister since December 10, 2019. Marin, who was 19 at the time, graduated from Pirkkala High School in 2004. Marin became a member of the Social Democratic Youth in 2006, and from 2010 to 2012, he served as its first Vice President. She worked at a bakery and as a cashier while studying at the University of Tampere, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Administrative Science. She has been a member of the Finnish Parliament since 2015 and served as Minister of Transport and Communications from 6 June to 10 December 2019. She is a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Marin was appointed Prime Minister on December 8, 2019, following Antti Rinne’s resignation in the wake of the 2019 postal strike. She is the world’s second-youngest state leader, after Giacomo Simoncini, who has been Captain Regent of San Marino since 2021, having taken office at the age of 34.

Social Impact:

Marin was nominated by the Social Democratic Party to succeed Antti Rinne as Prime Minister of Finland in December 2019, while Rinne remained the party’s official leader until June 2020. Marin defeated Antti Lindtman in a close vote. Women make up the majority of her five-party government, with 12 out of 19 ministers at the time of its establishment. After Anneli Jäätteenmäki and Mari Kiviniemi, she is Finland’s third female prime minister.

She became Finland’s youngest-ever prime minister when she was confirmed by Parliament at the age of 34, and she remained the youngest sitting state leader until Sebastian Kurz reclaimed the title in January 2020.

Marin’s cabinet declared a state of emergency in Finland during the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to combat the outbreak. Marin stepped in to represent Sweden when Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven was unable to attend a European Council meeting in October 2020 due to his mother’s burial. Marin requested that Löfven represent Finland at a Council meeting later that month in exchange.

Accolades:

Marin was named to the BBC’s 100 Women list, which was released on November 23, 2020. She was ranked 85th on Forbes’ list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women on December 9, 2020. She was named a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum in 2020. Marin was chosen for the cover of Time magazine’s “Time100 Next” theme issue, which features one hundred of the world’s most significant leaders.

-Tanisha