Sanna Mirella Marin—Prime Minister of Finland (2019–2023), Member of Parliament (2015–2023), Minister of Transport and Communications (June 6–December 10, 2019).
Place of Birth, Education
She was born on November 16, 1985, in Helsinki.
When Marin was still a child, her parents divorced. After that, she grew up with her mother and her mother’s partner.
Later, the family moved to Tampere.
In 2004, she graduated from high school in the municipality of Pirkkala, and in 2012, she earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Tampere.
In 2017, Marin earned her master’s degree.
Career
Marin entered politics in 2006 when she joined the Social Democratic Party of Finland.
As early as 2012, she was elected to the Tampere City Council, and from 2013 to 2017, she served as its chair. In 2017, she was re-elected.
She was first elected to Parliament following the April 19, 2015, election from the Pirkanmaa constituency. She retained her seat in the April 2019 election.
She had served as second deputy chair of the Social Democratic Party since 2014, and on August 23, 2020, at the party convention in Tampere, Marin was unanimously elected party chair.
In June 2019, Marin was appointed Minister of Transportation and Communications.
On December 8, the politician was elected prime minister in an internal party vote. Just a few days later, parliament confirmed her appointment.
In October 2020, Marin also represented Sweden at a meeting of the European Council because the country’s prime minister, Stefan Löfven, was unable to attend due to his mother’s funeral.
Later, he represented Finland at another Council meeting.
Scandals
In 2021–2022, Marin found herself at the center of several high-profile scandals.
One of the most high-profile incidents involved food expenses at the prime minister’s official residence. Finnish media reported that Marin and her family had taken advantage of a perk paid for with public funds, and the total amount of the expenses turned out to be higher than initially reported. Marin herself explained that she was not involved in these payments and did not know the exact amounts, as officials were handling the matter.
In addition, she had to publicly deny rumors that public funds had allegedly been used to pay for her wedding as well. Marin stated that she and her husband had covered the wedding expenses themselves.
In December 2022, the Office of the Chancellor of Justice concluded that the politician had not done anything illegal. Ultimately, responsibility for this matter was placed not on her, but on the officials who managed the expenditures.
In early December 2021, Marin found herself at the center of yet another high-profile story. After coming into contact with the head of Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), who later tested positive for COVID-19, she went out with friends to a nightclub in Helsinki that evening. At first, she was told that because she was fully vaccinated, self-isolation was not necessary.
Later, a message was sent to Marin’s government phone advising her that she should self-isolate after all. But she didn’t see it because she was carrying a different work phone that evening—her parliamentary one. The story subsequently received widespread media attention.
In the end, she publicly apologized on Facebook for her thoughtlessness. Two complaints were filed against her, but the justice chancellor found no violations in her actions.
Another major scandal broke out in August 2022, when a video from a private party in Helsinki—where Marin was dancing with friends—was leaked online. Following a wave of rumors about drugs, she took a drug test herself—the result was negative.
Later, a photo from the prime minister’s official residence, showing two women kissing while topless, also caused quite a stir. Marin called the photo inappropriate and apologized.
Withdrawal from Politics
After the April 2, 2023, election, Marin conceded defeat—her party finished only third, trailing Orpo’s National Coalition and the True Finns party.
At the same time, the Social Democrats still gained three seats in parliament, and Marin herself was re-elected to the Eduskunta.
As early as April 5 , Marin announced that she would step down as chair of the Social Democratic Party in the fall.
Antti Lindtman was the one who ultimately replaced her—this happened on September 1, 2023.
Future Career
After stepping away from national politics, Marin took on new projects. In 2023, she launched MA/PI Oy, through which she works as a public speaker. In addition, the company is involved in consulting and publishing.
On September 7, 2023, she announced that she was leaving parliament to take a position as a strategic advisor at the Blair Institute for Global Change. On September 12, she officially resigned from her seat in parliament.
In late September, it was reported that Marin had signed a contract with Range Media Partners.
Marital Status
On August 1, 2020, Marin married Markus Räikkönen. Prior to that, in 2018, they had a daughter, Emma.
In May 2023, news broke of the couple’s divorce. The proceedings were officially finalized in January 2024.
