With Finland about to have the elections on Sunday, Sanna Marin, the left-wing Prime Minister is about to have the hardest fight of her political life.
Marin went completely against the grain to be the youngest sitting prime minister in 2019 at the young age of 34. She currently leads the Social Democrats Party in the country- and has been heading the governing coalition of five parties in the country. After graduating from high school, Marin worked as a case- and was, interestingly, the first ever member in her family to attend a university. She then entered the political sphere at the age of 20 and seemingly moved up the ranks of the center-left Social Democratic Party.
Sanna Marin Is Lagging Behind Orpo and Purra In The Elections
Since Sanna Marin’s rise to power, she has been considered as quite a trailblazer– and has paved the way for other progressive leaders throughout the globe to implement their policies. But, her gender, and youth have also set her apart from her predecessors- who have all been middle-aged, and men. This doesn’t discount the media, asking her questions that they would never ask a male political leader. When she visited New Zealand to meet with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, they were both quick to shoot down questions from journalists who asked her about her reason to visit the country.
Currently, the Social Democrats party and Sanna Marin are facing quite an uphill battle- as they could be usurped this weekend. The final poll, according to Yle- the public broadcaster in Finland, showed that the country is facing a shift towards the right. Petteri Orpo’s right-wing Coalition Party has taken the lead, which is followed by Finns Party- which is Riika Purra’s nationalist party, and finally Marin’s SDP party.