Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced on Wednesday (May 10) that she and her husband have filed for divorce. After a setback in the recent general election, Marin had said that she would step down as Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader in September. 

In Instagram stories, Marin and her husband of three years Markus Raikkonen, wrote: “We have jointly filed for divorce. We are grateful for the 19 years together and our beloved daughter. We will remain best friends, close to each other and loving parents.” 

“We will continue to spend time together as a family and with each other. We hope that you respect our privacy. We will not comment further on the matter,” the post added. 

Marin and Raikkonen have a five-year-old daughter and were married in 2020 — a period when she was in office dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Until recently, they worked at a venture capital firm. 

The 37-year-old became the world’s youngest prime minister when she took office in 2019. She is often considered by fans around the globe as a millennial role model for progressive new leaders. In the recent election, Marin conceded defeat as right-wing opposition National Coalition Party leader Petteri Orpo claimed victory. 

Marin hailed Social Democratic Party (SDP) improvement in both her party’s vote share and its projected number of MPs as she addressed supporters and said that “it’s a really good achievement, even though I didn’t finish first today”. 

From her role in Finland becoming a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member to outstanding leadership qualities during the coronavirus pandemic, she emerged as Finland’s most popular prime minister in decades. 

However, there were some downfalls. She faced criticism from a certain section of society and opposition when last year some of her personal videos were leaked on social media platforms, in which she was seen partying with a group of Finnish celebrities. She even had to take a drug test to clear suspicions of wrongdoing.