Finland's Former Transport minister becomes the youngest serving head of government after Antti Rinne's resignation.
ADVERTISEMENTAfter the resignation of Finland’s social democrat PM Antti Rinne, the party chose transportation minister Sanna Marin to become the next head of Government, the country’s youngest ever at the age of 34.
The Social Democrats, the leaders of the five-party coalition that runs the Finnish Government, chose Marin as its candidate for new Prime Minister on December 8.
She has been a lawmaker since 2015 and the Minister of Transport and Communications since last June, when Rinne’s Government was formed.
Marin started her career in politics in 2012, at the age of 27, when she was elected head of the city council of her hometown, Tampere, in southern Finland. She was chosen as second deputy chairperson of the Social Democratic Party in 2014.
When Marin takes the office in the next days, she will become the world’s youngest serving Prime Minister. However, this is not the only change in Finland’s Government: Centre Party chief Katri Kulmuni -32 years old- will be the new finance Minister, replacing Mika Lintila.
"We want to make the axis between the prime minister and the finance minister work," Kulmuni said. "That is the foundation for this new generation of collaboration (between the Social Democrats and the Centre Party)," she added.
Finland's government will have a women-led cabinet. After Kulmini takes over, 12 out of the 18 ministers will be females.
Currently, the leaders of four of the five parties that form the governing coalition are women as Rinne will remain the Social Democrats leader at least until he chairs the party's conference in June.
Green Party leader Maria Ohisalo -34 years old- was chosen interior minister in June, just like Li Andersson, head of the Left Alliance -32- and education minister, and Anna-Maja Henriksson -55-, leader of the Swedish People’s Party of Finland and justice minister.
Former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb said that he was glad that the parties in the Government were led by women, even when his party is not part of the coalition.
“My party is not in government, but I rejoice that the leaders of the five parties in government are female. Shows that #Finland is a modern and progressive country. The majority of my government was also female. One day gender will not matter in government. Meanwhile pioneers".