Key Points
- Sanna Marin will no longer serve as Finland's prime minister after her party's election loss.
- She became the world's youngest female leader when she took on the role in 2019.
- Her tenure as leader has included many memorable moments, and a fair share of both controversy and acclaim
Sanna Marin has conceded defeat in Finland's election, and will no longer serve as the country's prime minister.
After a close contest, the conservative National Coalition Party, led by Petteri Orpo, defeated Ms Marin's centre-left Social Democratic Party.
Here are five memorable moments from her time in the role.
1. The world's youngest female leader
When she rose to the leadership of the Social Democratic party – and prime minister – at 34 years old in 2019, Ms Marin became the world's youngest female leader.
She also became Finland's youngest-ever prime minister.
Ms Marin led a coalition of five parties, all of which were themselves led by women.
2. The 'partygate' scandal
In August 2022, a video was leaked online showing Ms Marin singing, dancing, and drinking with friends during a party at a private residence.
The video sparked criticism, with some branding her unprofessional and claiming the behaviour was inappropriate for a prime minister.
Ms Marin agreed to take a drug test – which returned a negative result – and said she had never taken narcotics.
She said she did nothing but “dance, sing, hug my friends and drink alcohol”.
“I hope that in the year 2022 it’s accepted that even decision-makers dance, sing and go to parties,” she said.
The scandal and criticism sparked a wave of support online, with women around the world posting videos of themselves dancing alongside the hashtag #solidaritywithsanna.
3. Shutting down gendered questions with Jacinda Ardern
In November, Ms Marin met with New Zealand's then-prime minister Jacinda Ardern, and during a press conference a journalist asked Ms Ardern whether the two world leaders were meeting because they were "similar in age".
"My first question is I wonder whether or not anyone ever asked [former US President] Barack Obama and [former New Zealand Prime Minister] John Key if they met because they were of a similar age," Ms Ardern quizzed the reporter.
"Because two women meet it's not simply because of their gender," she said.
"The focus of our conversation is what more we could do together in support of other women, in other countries who are facing dire circumstances," Ms Ardern said.
She vowed to further the countries' relationship regardless of gender.
Ms Marin had a similar answer to the suggestion the two women had been brought together by a shared age.
"We are meeting because we are prime ministers," Ms Marin said.
4. COVID-19 pandemic: praise and criticism
Throughout 2020 and 2021, Ms Marin was praised for her handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with Finland maintaining relatively low rates of the virus.
In November 2021, she was criticised for visiting a nightclub until the early hours of the morning, after being exposed to COVID-19 via her foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto.
Sanna Marin will no longer serve as Finland's prime minister. Source: Getty / Getty Images Europe
"I should have used better judgement and double-checked the guidance given to me. I am very sorry for not understanding that I needed to do that," she wrote in a statement.
5. NATO membership and Ukraine support
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Ms Marin has been vocal in her support for Ukraine.
She has also had a prominent role in successfully advocating for Finland, which has a long history of military neutrality, to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
The formal application process is now in its final stages, with the country set to formally join the alliance in the coming days.
