Who is Sanna Marin? All about the world’s youngest Prime Minister ahead of HBO Max’s First Five

HBO Max is all set to cover the inner workings of the government of Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin in its latest documentary First Five, quite cleverly titled referring to the women-dominant cabinet of Marin. In 2019, Marin wrote history by becoming the youngest prime minister in the world, representing the Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP).

Sanna Marin worked tirelessly to steer the country out of a pandemic and the effects of war, which followed immediately after her election. Two months ago, she lost the election and formally resigned. However, her legacy still remains inspiring.

The upcoming documentary about the Finnish leader will cover the workings of the female-centric government during one of the toughest challenges for mankind. Reportedly, First Five will be divided into three parts.

Ahead of the documentary's premiere on June 9, 2023, here is a look at the pioneering woman from Finland.

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Finland's youngest Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, served as a member of the Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP)

Widely known across the world for being the youngest Prime Minister of all time, Sanna Marin is a Finnish politician, who served as a member of the Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP) since 2015, and its leader since 2020.

Born in Helsinki, Marin was raised in Pirkkala, where she also went to high school. She graduated in 2004 and studied administration sciences at the University of Tampere. Following this, she got both her bachelor's and master's degrees at this university.

Marin got into politics during her early 20s, beginning her affiliation with the Social Democratic Youth. She joined the party in 2006 and served as its first director from 2010 to 2012. Marin then tried to run for the city council once in 2008 but failed. In 2012, she ran again and won this time. She then became chairwoman of the City Council within months, serving from 2013 to 2017.

After her long tenure at the party, Marin was elected second deputy chairman of the SDP in 2014. Within another year, Sanna Marin was elected to the Finnish Parliament as an MP from the electoral district of Pirkanmaa. She even got elected another time.

In 2019, Marin was nominated by the SDP to succeed Antti Rinne as the Prime Minister of Finland. This made her the youngest Prime Minister in the country. She also became the youngest Prime Minister in the world following this. However, her party lost the election in 2023.

HBO Max's First Five will predominantly cover Marin and her cabinet during the pandemic and the subsequent turbulence caused by the rapid global change and the threat of impending war in Europe.

Mia Halme, who directed the series, spoke about the series to Variety, saying:

"First Five’ covers important themes of power and womanhood. Even in a country with a great tradition of female participation in politics, female politicians are still judged and criticized more strictly than their male counterparts."

She continued:

"Seeing Sanna Marin’s cabinet of young women running the country is inspiring – instead of just providing us with a look on a former government, this documentary shows the viewer that the time has come for more gender and age balance in high-level decision-making positions all over the world."

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First Five will premiere with Sanna Marin's story on June 9, 2023, on Max.