Sanna Marin, Finland’s Prime Minister who recently lost a general election, announced on Wednesday that she and her husband have filed for divorce, news agency AFP said in a report.
Marin shared on her Instagram story that she and her partner Markus Raikkonen filed for divorce together, but remain grateful for the 19 years they spent with each other.
She also mentioned that they remain “best friends”. Raikonnen also shared the announcement on his own Instagram profile.
The couple have a five-year-old daughter and Marin stated that they plan to continue spending time together as a family, news agency AFP said.
In April, Marin’s Social Democrats ranked third in the parliamentary elections, with 43 seats out of 200, behind the conservative National Coalition with 48 seats and the anti-immigration Finns Party with 46.
The National Coalition is currently negotiating to form a government with the Finns Party.
Sanna Marin, who is now 37 years old, made history in 2019 by becoming the youngest elected head of government in the world when she won the Finnish elections.
Marin led a centre-left coalition that included five women party leaders, with four of them under the age of 35, news agency AFP said.
She was widely praised for her crisis leadership and her popularity in Finland surged during the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, her reputation for being polarising and controversies surrounding her private life, including a viral video showing her partying with Finnish celebrities landed her in controversy.
In August 2022, leaked social media videos showing Marin partying with a group of Finnish celebrities made news around the world, prompting her to take a drug test to clear suspicions of wrongdoing, news agency AFP said.
While some defended her right to a private life, to others the scandals were not fit for her office and evidence of her inexperience.
Despite the mixed reception, Marin remains one of the most popular prime ministers in Finland in decades, news agency AFP said.
During her time in office, she advocated for Finland to join NATO, which was once a divisive issue within the country.
Marin’s government has formally resigned but will continue serving on a caretaker basis until the formation and appointment of a new government.