Finland’s outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced her divorce from her husband on Wednesday, a month after his defeat in the general election.
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“We filed for divorce together. We are grateful for the 19 years spent together,” said the 37-year-old leader on her Instagram account.
PHOTO FROM INSTAGRAM/SANNA MARIN
She and her future ex-husband Markus Räikkönen, with whom she has a 5-year-old daughter, are “still best friends”, she assured.
After her electoral defeat in early April, Sanna Marin announced that she would leave the head of the Social Democratic Party in September to become a simple deputy, also sweeping away speculation about a big international post.
Referring to the “great honor” of leading the government for three and a half years, the one who has become a recognized international figure during her mandate also confided “exceptionally difficult times”.
“I must honestly admit that my own stamina has been tested during these years,” she explained.
“I hope I will have a little calmer life, with these responsibilities behind me”.
Her electoral defeat marked a halt to the rapid rise of the one who had become the youngest Prime Minister in the world at the end of 2019, at only 34 years old.
She had made headlines around the world leading a coalition led by five women, all under the age of 35.
Marin then built international stature by successfully leading her country through the COVID-19 pandemic and Finland’s historic NATO membership.
Described as a “rock star prime minister”, she is more divisive in her country, where she has been criticized for deteriorating public finances and inflation.
She also caught the attention of the tabloids in August 2022, when videos of her partying wildly with friends leaked online.
The incident had earned him criticism of his exercise of power, but also many supporters in the face of attacks deemed misogynistic.