Finland is a small Nordic nation that made a splasjh in the political world when Sanna Marin, a 37-year-old woman, became its Prime Minister in December 2019. While Marin was making headlines for her impressive rise to the top of Finnish politics, her party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), unfortunately suffered a huge defeat in the recent general election on Sunday. Despite her personal victory, Marin saw her party being relegated to the third place in parliament with 43 seats, behind the conservative National Coalition Party (NCP) with 48 seats and the far-right Finns Party with 46.
The Finns Party, which was founded in the mid-1990s, saw their record 46 seats in the 200-seat parliament; and it has been questioned whether the 37-year-old Marin would choose a new international career path or opt for a run for Finland’s presidency.
The Finns Party has focused its campaigns on anti-immigration issues and blames recent arrivals for causing problems such as juvenile delinquency. With the election results, analysts are divided over whether the nationalists are reliable partners for a government coalition.
The future Prime Minister Petteri Orpo from the NCP has two options for forming a majority government: either a coalition with across the political divide with the SDP or a right-wing government with the Finns Party. Orpo has made it clear that he favors the former as it would be easier for smaller parties to join.
At the moment, it is unclear what career path Marin would take, as her ambition transcends the largely ceremonial role of the presidency. She could either join the European Union as a top leader or take the helm at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) after its current Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stands down in September. Whatever the outcome, Marin will be remembered as a trailblazer who has made an impressive mark in Finnish politics.
 was defeated in the recent general election. However, Marin's story serves as an inspiration to all. With the recent election results, Finns Party has been ranked third in the 200-seat parliament. It is now yet to be seen what career path Marin would take, be it joining the EU or the NATO. Nevertheless, Marin will be remembered for being a trailblazer and making a mark in politics.){kind=link}