Finland PM Sanna Marin and her husband file for divorce after 19 years together

Finland’s prime minister Sanna Marin announced that she and her husband have filed for divorce.

Ms Marin said in an Instagram story that she was grateful for the 19 years that they spent together and added she is “still best friends” with her husband Markus Raikkonen.

Mr Raikkonen also shared the announcement on his own Instagram account.

The couple have a five-year-old daughter.

Ms Marin said that “we will continue to spend time together as a family”.

Ms Marin, 37, is one of Europe’s youngest leaders.

She has received praise for her Cabinet’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and for her prominent role, along with president Sauli Niinistö, in advocating for Finland’s successful application to join Nato.

Her vocal support of Ukraine in the last year has increased her international visibility.

Ms Marin is currently steering the country’s caretaker government after her Social Democrats party lost the April general elections.

The centre-right National Coalition Party claimed victory in the polls, followed closely by right-wing populist party The Finns while the Social Democrats finished third.

The National Coalition is currently negotiating to form a government with the Finns Party.

Ms Marin who has been prime minister since 2019 was at the centre of a controversy last summer when she was filmed dancing in a night club with a singer, prompting opposition calls for her to be drug tested, which later cleared her of drug use.

The incident sparked a debate about her right to a private life. Addressing criticisms of the video, Ms Marin said she “resents these became known to the public”, adding they were filmed in a private space.

While she remained popular, she was challenged in the election on issues including the country’s economy, cost-of-living, climate change among others.