From cashier to millennial prime minister: 5 facts about Finland’s leader Sanna Marin

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin visited Kyiv, she also traveled to Irpin and Bucha and discussed military support for Ukraine with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. We tell you what you need to know about one of the most popular politicians in the world.

1. The youngest head of government in the world

Sanna Marin was appointed Prime Minister of Finland on December 10, 2019, after her predecessor Anti Rinne resigned as a result of a political crisis that he failed to manage. At that time, Sanna was 34 years old, and she became the youngest head of government in the world.

Marin began her political career at the age of 20, and soon joined the Social Democratic Party of Finland. In 2012, she was elected to the Tampere City Council. Since 2014, she has been the second deputy chairman of the Social Democratic Party, and in 2019 she received the post of Minister of Transport and Communications.

2. Same-sex family

Sanna was born in Helsinki to a poor family. Parents quickly divorced, and Sanna grew up in a same-sex family. After the divorce of her parents, she saw her father only once.

In an interview with Menaiset, Sanna Marin admitted that in the early 2000s, it was not customary to talk about same-sex marriage in Finland.

Silence was the most difficult. The invisibility created a sense of incompetence. We were not recognized as a real family or equal to others. But they didn’t bully me much.

3. From cashier to prime minister

Sanna’s perseverance and hard work prove that nothing is impossible. The girl grew up in the city of Tampere in southern Finland. As a teenager, she worked part-time in a bakery, was a cashier. In 2012, she graduated from a local university with a degree in administrative management. Interestingly, Sanna was the first in her family to receive a higher education.

4. Politician for the Instagram Generation

Sanna Marin, 36, is one of the most popular politicians in the world. She has over 600,000 followers on Instagram. The politician actively maintains his account and shares quite candid pictures and posts, which is rare.

For example, Sanna puts on public display personal pictures from the wedding, posts her photos where she breastfeeds her daughter, takes selfies, eats donuts, sitting on the curb in the center of any city, tells what she eats for breakfast, and is also removed for gloss.

Sanna herself sees nothing special in this and says:

I just want to be honest and be myself. It’s so much easier for me.

5. Symbol of progress

It is thanks to Sanna, who grew up in a same-sex family and advocates equal rights for all, that Finland is called the center of a new progressive politics. When Sanna took over as prime minister, her daughter was not even two years old. Her husband Markus Räikkenen went on maternity leave.

Sanna is a true progressive leader of her country. She fights for women’s rights not in words, but in deeds – in her cabinet of ministers there are 12 women and 7 men, she advocates equal rights for all and supports the LGBT community. Her personal challenge is Finland’s aspiration to become carbon neutral by 2035, and Sanna’s dream is to completely eradicate sexism.

Read what you need to know about Sanna Marin on Vogue.ua.