Sanna Marin divorce: Finland prime minister parts ways with long time partner, Markus Raikkonen amid ongoing strife, after recent election defeat and accusations of excess drinking, drug use and cheating.
Off the back of her recent defeat in Finland’s elections, former Finnish prime minister, Sanna Marin has announced she is divorcing her husband Markus Raikkonen after 19 years together.
Marin and her former football husband, both 37, share a five-year-old daughter, Emma Amalia Marin and were married nearly three years ago at an intimate ceremony in August 2020.
Of note, the divorce comes as Marin held the title of being the youngest ever elected prime minister in the world at age just 34 in 2019. An accolade which at the time raised eyebrows and would again when the photogenic politician known to have celebrity friends became embroiled in a fiasco which included accusations of excess drinking, drug taking and getting too intimate with others males. But more on that below.
❗️The head of the Finnish Cabinet of Ministers and former PM Sanna Marin, announced her divorce from her husband Marcus Räikkenen.
The couple got married less than three years ago, in early August 2020. I wonder why?! could it be that she was “busy” with other men in 2022?! pic.twitter.com/ABvhg1dgge— Angelina (@bythesfbay) May 10, 2023
Beyond recent election defeat Finnish PM was embroiled in salacious personal scandal
The couple, who had been together since they were 18 years old, announced on Wednesday the end of their marriage.
‘Together we’ve filed for divorce. We’re grateful for the 19 years together and for our beloved daughter,’ Marin wrote on Instagram.
‘We’re still best friends, close to each other and loving parents. Going forward we will still spend time together as a family and with each other. We wish you will respect our privacy. We won’t comment further on this.’
Marin, who is stepping down as Prime Minister after her election defeat last month, has been embroiled in a series of scandals over her partying during her time in office.
In August last year, the party-loving prime minister was secretly filmed dancing intimately with Finnish singer Olavi Uusivirta, 39, leading to him issuing a denial that they were having an affair. There is no suggestion Uusivirta is to blame for the couple’s split.
Uusivirta claimed that he and Marin were simply ‘friends’ and ‘nothing inappropriate’ had happened between them at the Helsinki nightclub.
Grainy video footage showed Marin draping her arms around the singer. Uusivirta was seen pressing his face against her neck at one point in a gesture that some in the Finnish media have claimed was a kiss.
Witnesses told Finnish media at the time that Marin had danced with another two men in similar fashion and sat on the laps of another two during the high-spirited night out.
VIDEO: Finland’s prime minister Sanna Marin says she has taken a drug test and reiterates she has never taken narcotics, after a video of the 36-year-old partying sparked criticism. pic.twitter.com/BHAMLweQqh
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 20, 2022
‘I’m entitled to some fun too!’
But Finnish singer-songwriter Uusivirta who got divorced from his wife in 2021, dismissed any suggestion that he was in a relationship with his country’s leader.
Leaked video footage also showed Marin dancing provocatively with Finnish social media influencer Sabina Särkkä, 33, as they draped their arms around each other with their legs nearly touching.
At the time, Marin insisted that ‘everyone needs a fun and relaxed evening out’ and that she should be allowed to let her hair down after spending most of her time juggling the responsibilities of governing and being a mother.
The former P.M added that ‘nothing inappropriate’ happens in the video that showed her dancing with Uusivirta and said her only regret was that ‘private’ videos had made it into the domain’.
Further video emerged from that night showing Marin partying with celebrity friends before heading to the club.
The footage featured someone shouting the words ‘flour gang’ in the background, leading to speculation that drugs might have been taken as ‘flour’ is slang for cocaine in Finland.
Marin submitted to a drugs test following the leaking of the video which came back negative.
It wasn’t only the fun loving adventures that drew attention to Marin but also antagonism with her government’s high public expenditure.
Reports CNN: While she remains very popular among many Finns, particularly young moderates, she antagonized some conservatives with high levels of spending on pensions and education.
Meteoric rise and crash
Marin’s rise to the top of Finnish politics was meteoric.
The first member of her family to attend university, she entered politics at 20 and quickly moved up the ranks of the center-left Social Democratic Party.
She then became the world’s youngest prime minister when she took office in 2019 at the age 34.
But she conceded defeat in Finland’s general election last month as the opposition centre-Right National Coalition Party claimed victory in a tightly fought contest, pipping the Right-wing populist Finns Party.
Marin announced that she will resign as the leader of the Social Democratic Party at the next party congress in the autumn. She is currently serving as caretaker prime minister until a new coalition government can be formed.
During her tenure, she has faced backlash over her partying. In December 2021, Marin was forced to apologise for going out clubbing until 4am at the Butchers nightclub with friends after coming into contact with a Covid-19 case.
She came under criticism for missing the text telling her she needed to isolate because she had left her work phone that, as prime minister, she should have had on her at all times at home.
Not immediately clear is whether Marin was now involved with a new love interest, and what exactly precipitated her split from her long time partner.
