Finland's outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin addresses media at the Parliament in Helsinki, Finland, to announce that she will step down as Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader in September 2023, three days after she lost the Finnish general elections, on April 5, 2023. Photo by Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva / AFP
Finland’s outgoing prime minister, Sanna Marin, will step down as the leader of her Social Democratic Party and abandon other leadership roles following the loss in parliamentary elections last weekend.
Speaking to reporters in Helsinki, Marin said she has decided not to continue as party leader in September and declined candidacy for president, after conceding the election loss. She plans to return to parliament.
"These have been exceptionally difficult times," Marin said, ruling out a ministerial role if SDP joins a coalition government. "I have to frankly admit that my own resilience and endurance capacity have been put to the test during these years.”
The 37-year-old millennial leader - briefly the world’s youngest prime minister after taking the job in 2019 - was defeated in Sunday’s vote by the pro-business National Coalition opposition group. With the anti-immigration Finns Party also winning stronger support than the Social Democrats, the vote highlighted concerns over a bloated budget and other domestic issues.
Marin is the third female head of government to step down in a short period of time, following in the footsteps of Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand and Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland.
When Ardern announced she was stepping down, saying she didn’t have the energy or inspiration to seek re-election, it sparked a wave of global commentary about the abuse and threats female leaders are subjected to.
It also put the spotlight on a wave of senior-level women leaving their jobs because of exhaustion. Sturgeon resigned as Scotland’s first minister, citing burnout.
"The past years have been hard, also personally,” Marin said, adding that she expects to be able to lead a more peaceful life as rank-and-file member of parliament. "Some doors have to close for new ones to open.”
National Coalition’s leader Petteri Orpo, who is set to replace Marin as prime minister, is likely to start the negotiations April 14 after the parliament convenes, he said on Tuesday, hoping to forge the coalition by the June 23 midsummer holiday. Orpo plans to ask all parties elected into parliament to join the first phase of talks on forming a new government for the northernmost euro country.
