Finland's young Prime Minister Sanna Marin concedes election defeat as right-wing party claims victory.
Marin, who became Finland's youngest prime minister at 34 in 2019, conceded defeat on Sunday after the opposition National Coalition Party (NCP) claimed a narrow victory in the parliamentary elections. The pro-business NCP won 48 of the 200 seats in parliament, with Marin's Social Democrats securing 43 seats and the nationalist Finns Party getting 46 seats.
Marin acknowledged that her party had "gained support" but conceded defeat, saying she was committed to working with the winning party to form a coalition. Her departure marks an end to an era of progressive leadership in Finland, which has been marked by controversy over Marin's personal life and government spending.
The NCP's leader, Petteri Orpo, vowed to "fix Finland" and its economy, promising austerity measures to curb public debt. He claimed that Marin had eroded Finland's economic resilience at a time when Europe's energy crisis was hitting the country hard.
Marin had pushed for NATO membership in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but the process is now almost complete with Helsinki expected to join within days after all 30 members approved accession.
The Finns Party has been vocal about immigration and reducing public spending, promising to curb deficit spending. Marin had faced criticism from conservatives over her government's spending on pensions and education.
In a recent speech, Marin acknowledged that the NCP had gained support and vowed to work with Orpo to form a coalition. Despite her concession of defeat, Marin remains popular among young Finns and has been hailed as a role model for progressive leaders around the world.
Marin, who became Finland's youngest prime minister at 34 in 2019, conceded defeat on Sunday after the opposition National Coalition Party (NCP) claimed a narrow victory in the parliamentary elections. The pro-business NCP won 48 of the 200 seats in parliament, with Marin's Social Democrats securing 43 seats and the nationalist Finns Party getting 46 seats.
Marin acknowledged that her party had "gained support" but conceded defeat, saying she was committed to working with the winning party to form a coalition. Her departure marks an end to an era of progressive leadership in Finland, which has been marked by controversy over Marin's personal life and government spending.
The NCP's leader, Petteri Orpo, vowed to "fix Finland" and its economy, promising austerity measures to curb public debt. He claimed that Marin had eroded Finland's economic resilience at a time when Europe's energy crisis was hitting the country hard.
Marin had pushed for NATO membership in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but the process is now almost complete with Helsinki expected to join within days after all 30 members approved accession.
The Finns Party has been vocal about immigration and reducing public spending, promising to curb deficit spending. Marin had faced criticism from conservatives over her government's spending on pensions and education.
In a recent speech, Marin acknowledged that the NCP had gained support and vowed to work with Orpo to form a coalition. Despite her concession of defeat, Marin remains popular among young Finns and has been hailed as a role model for progressive leaders around the world.
... i feel bad for her, she's such an inspiring leader 
especially among the youth in finland. maybe it's time for her to take a break and come back stronger? 
personally, i think the ncp's promise of austerity measures sounds kinda scary 
they should consider the impact on public spending on things like pensions and education too 
anyway, wish sanna all the best in forming that coalition with petteri orpo 
they went from 40% in 2019 to 21% this time round 
it's like marin's popularity tanked after all that drama surrounding her personal life 
but still 43 seats ain't bad lol also i love how the ncp's petteri orpo is hyping up austerity measures 
and btw did u know marin's got a 72% approval rating among young finns? 
she's still low-key the queen of progressive leadership 
. i think the ncp's win is a bit concerning tho, petteri orpo talkin about fixin' finland and curbin public debt sounds like more austerity measures, which can be tough on people 
And now they're going to go full austerity measures? That sounds like a recipe for disaster to me 
. Petteri Orpo thinks he can just "fix" everything overnight? Please 
.
.
She was a breath of fresh air, especially among young people. Hopefully she'll stay involved in politics, maybe in some advisory role or something? That'd be awesome 
thats a big shock considering she was only 34 when she became pm 
the ncp got 48 seats while her party got 43, but still they're gonna form a coalition with her anyway 
but marin's team pushed for nato membership which shows she was all about security and defense 
shes been a role model for young people and progressive leaders, her departure marks the end of an era in finland 
so sanna marin is done 
i mean i get it, politics is all about winning and losing but still its like a part of her identity you know? 
anywayz the ncp's gonna try to fix finland's economy and stuff 
can't wait to see what petteri orpo does next 
! I know her party didn't win all seats, but still 43 out of 200 isn't bad 
. but it seems like the right-wing party won by a hair... fingers crossed they can do better than what Petteri Orpo has planned 
anyway, the NCP is gonna try to fix Finland's economy with austerity measures? let's see how that plays out 
she was an amazing leader and always had our backs 
even tho the ncp might have won this time, i still think she did a great job 
. Or maybe not 
. But one thing's for sure, Marin's legacy lives on and she'll always be a role model for young progressives 
, how he was all about change and stuff. But Finland's politics always seem a bit more... chill 
. I mean, who wouldn't want to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine? It's like, basic self-preservation, you know? 
And what's with the Finns Party being all anti-immigration and stuff? That's just not how it goes down in my grandma's Finland 
. Still, I guess this is what happens when you have a change in government 
but hey at least she conceded defeat with dignity