On the international scene, she has almost rock star status – a rather rare fact for a Finnish leader. Aged 34, Sanna Marin caused a sensation in December 2019, when she became the youngest head of government in office, at the head of a coalition of five parties, all led by women, four of which were under 35. years. Since then, she has led her country into NATO and has become known for her strong positions on Russia.
At home too, the patron saint of the Social Democrats (since August 2020) enjoys exceptional popularity. Wherever she goes, Sanna Marin attracts crowds. We rush to take selfies with her. Before the legislative elections on April 2, his party made it one of his main campaign arguments. On the posters, she poses in a salmon top, her hair down, all smiles, under the slogan « On your side » (” on your side “).
His re-election, however, is far from guaranteed. In the polls, three formations are given neck and neck, with around 19% of the voting intentions. Long in the lead, the National Coalition Party (conservative) – historical supporter of NATO membership, when the Social Democrats were holding back – has seen its lead dwindle in the last five months and it is now in a handkerchief of pocket with the nationalists of the Party of Finns and the social democrats.
Scandals have not tarnished his reputation
In Finland, a country of consensus, the coalitions vary according to the elections. Before April 2, two alternatives “very distinct in their programs” emerging, according to political scientist Göran Djupsund: “We could have a government made up of the Conservatives and the Party of Finns, or the Conservatives and the Social Democrats. »
Traditionally, the formation that wins the most seats in Parliament is responsible for forming the government. During the last legislative elections in April 2019, the Social Democrats, led by Antti Rinne, had won forty (with 17.7% of the vote), one seat more than the Party of Finns (17.5% of the vote) . Antti Rinne had then become prime minister. But he had to resign in December 2019, threatened with a vote of no confidence in Parliament.
Number two in the party, Sanna Marin, then Minister of Transport and Communication, succeeded him. Former mayor of Tampere, the third largest city in the country, she was still little known in Finland. Three and a half years later, “his record and that of his government are judged positively by voters, across the political spectrum”notes historian Jenni Karimäki, a specialist in Finnish politics.
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