Sanna Marin, the world’s youngest female Prime Minister, marries in intimate ceremony

Eight months after becoming Finland’s Prime Minister, Sanna Marin has married her partner of 16 years, Markus Räikkönen. The couple married in an intimate ceremony with family and friends at their official residence in Kesaränta. Sanna, who wore an elegant long-sleeve silky dress by Finnish designer Anni Ruuth, shared pictures of herself dancing with her new husband on Instagram. 

Alongside one of the snaps, which were taken by Helsinki-based photographer, Minttu Saarni, she wrote: “I am happy and grateful that I get to share my life with the man I love,” adding: “We have seen and experienced a lot together, shared joys and sorrows, and supported each other at the bottom and in the storm.”

When first elected the 34-year-old was the youngest serving head of government in the world, and was only recently overtaken by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who turns 34 at the end of August. She is the youngest prime minister in Finland’s history, and the world’s youngest serving female prime minister. Environmentalism and sustainability are top priorities on her agenda, and she has vowed her country will be carbon neutral by 2035. Tackling the gender pay gap and ensuring welfare for future generations are other key focuses.

In the May 2020 issue of British Vogue, Sanna was interviewed by Sirin Kale about her path toward power, her coalition government and how she manages to find a work-life balance. She praised the Finnish public for allowing her to live a “normal life”, and said: “I can go to a grocery store in Tampere and shop for everyday things. People may stop me and say, ‘Congratulations,’ but that’s it.”

A mother to two-year-old daughter Emma, in many ways Sanna is like any other young parent. In addition to shaping policy, she shares recipes on Facebook and the odd candid photograph—including a selfie of her breastfeeding—all of which has helped to make the forward-thinking leader a breath of fresh air in world politics. 

Of course, she has been met with sexism. “In every position I’ve ever been in, my gender has always been the starting point—that I am a young woman,” she told British Vogue. “I hope one day it won’t be an issue, that this question won’t be asked. I want to do as good a job as possible. I’m no better and no worse than a middle-aged man.”

This article originally appeared on Vogue.uk

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