Sanna Marin

Marin's appointment to the Tony Blair Institute prompted criticism in Finland because of the organisation's consultancy work for foreign governments and funding received notably from Saudi Arabia, including after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Her new career as an international speaker was also interpreted by some as a departure from her social democratic roots.

State of the evidence

Documented

The Marin government substantially increased borrowing during Covid, the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine, while maintaining or creating several permanent expenditures. Economists and the opposition accused the government of using crises to permanently relax fiscal discipline.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

The Marin government advanced a reform allowing adults to change their legal gender through self-declaration, notably removing the sterilisation requirement. The Centre Party, a coalition member, opposed the legislation at several stages, generating considerable tension.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

A reform intended to change the Sami Parliament's electoral criteria and strengthen Indigenous self-determination failed when the Centre Party voted with the opposition in committee. The matter had been blocked for years, and international bodies had criticised the existing Finnish legislation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Shared responsibility

In Kyiv, Marin suggested that Finland could discuss the future of its ageing F-18 Hornets and their possible eventual transfer to Ukraine. The President and relevant ministers were surprised, as no structured government discussion had preceded her statement.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Marin's SDP gained seats but finished third behind the National Coalition Party and the Finns Party, bringing her term as Prime Minister to an end. Debt, the economy and public spending were major themes in her opponents' campaigns.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Marin and her husband Markus Räikkönen jointly announced their divorce after nineteen years together. In subsequent months, Finnish media continued to scrutinise her private life intensely, coverage she publicly described as disproportionate.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

A few months after being re-elected as an MP with more than 35,000 votes, Marin requested permission to leave Parliament to become a strategic adviser at the Tony Blair Institute. Researchers and politicians criticised the impression of an elected representative quickly using her mandate as a stepping stone to an international career.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

It emerged that Marin and her family had received cold meals and breakfasts paid for by the state at the official residence. Police found no grounds to suspect a crime and Marin was not personally under investigation. Nevertheless, in 2022 the Chancellor of Justice concluded that the benefit lacked a sufficient legal basis and reprimanded the Prime Minister's Office.

After being exposed to Covid through Minister Pekka Haavisto, Marin went out for dinner and then to a nightclub and missed subsequent messages recommending that she avoid contact with others because she had left her government phone at home. She publicly apologised.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Marin told Reuters that Finland joining NATO during the current term was 'very unlikely'. The opposition condemned what it considered a strategic communications error that risked unnecessarily restricting Finland's freedom of action.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Leaked private videos showing Marin dancing and singing with friends triggered international controversy. Rumours alleged that drugs had been consumed at the party.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

A photograph taken during a private party at the official residence showed two women kissing, one covering her breasts with a 'Finland' sign. Marin did not appear in the image but confirmed that the photograph had been taken at Kesäranta and described it as inappropriate.

State of the evidence

Documented

Faced with a healthcare pay dispute, the government supported a temporary law allowing certain healthcare workers to be ordered back to work if patient safety was seriously threatened. Nurses' unions condemned what they considered an infringement of the right to strike.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

The collapse of Uniper, a subsidiary of state-owned Fortum heavily exposed to Russian gas, caused multibillion-euro losses and nationalisation by Germany. The opposition accused the government of insufficiently defending Finnish interests and criticised Marin for not convening an economic meeting requested in July.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Shared responsibility

During the NATO accession process, Marin stated that Finland should not restrict its room for manoeuvre in advance by formally ruling out nuclear weapons or permanent bases, while considering their presence in Finland unlikely.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Marin posted an Instagram story with a Social Democratic MP accompanied by lyrics reading 'boomer, stay calm, be cool', widely interpreted as a mocking response to criticism, including from within her own party, of her style and nights out.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

Attribution

Directly implicated

International media incorrectly reported that the new Prime Minister was preparing a four-day working week and six-hour working days. The proposal was not part of the government programme and originated from an idea expressed months earlier when she was a minister.

State of the evidence

Documented

A photograph published in Trendi magazine showing Marin wearing a very low-cut blazer prompted criticism claiming that the image was inappropriate for a Prime Minister. A large #imwithsanna campaign subsequently supported her.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

A few days after taking office, the Marin government faced a no-confidence motion over the repatriation of Finnish nationals, particularly children and their mothers, from Syria's al-Hol camp. The opposition accused the government of lacking transparency and a clear policy.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility