The former Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, who lost the elections last April, left the reins of her party, the Social Democrat SDP, yesterday during a congress in which Antti Lindtman, head of the parliamentary group, was elected as the new leader. Marin, who a few days after the electoral defeat already announced her intention to resign at the next congress, became the youngest head of government in the world when she took office at the end of 2019, at the age of 34. In August 2020, the SDP elected her as president of the party, of which she was already vice president.
Yesterday at the congress he gave his last speech as leader, thanking the Finns for their unanimous support for Ukraine. “We made the historic decision to apply for NATO membership to ensure Finland’s security in all circumstances,” Marin said of the membership, which coincidentally materialized on April 4, the day after his electoral defeat.
“Finland has strongly condemned the Russian aggression and has supported Ukraine in many ways, by itself and as part of the EU,” continued the former prime minister, one of the strongest pro-Kyiv voices. Russia and its representatives must be held accountable for illegal aggression, war crimes and the consequences of war.
Sanna Marin, who is now 37 years old, does not abandon politics, as she continues to be a deputy in Parliament. She has also signed on as a speaker for an American agency and has founded a consultancy with her former assistant. The new leader of the SDP, Antti Lindtman, 41, thanked him for his three-year work at the helm of the party.
Although the SDP came third at the polls in April – giving rise to the current government of conservative Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, at the head of a coalition that includes the far-right – the party won votes and won more seats. But the right-wing bloc vastly surpassed him.
