
Finland's parliament has chosen Sanna Marin as the country's new prime minister, making the 34-year-old the world's youngest sitting head of government.

Marin took office in Helsinki today as the head of a five-party, centre-left coalition alongside four other parties all headed by women - three of whom are in their early 30s.

The 200-seat Eduskunta parliament approved Ms Marin in a 99-70 vote. The government has a comfortable majority of 117 seats.

Marin's new finance minister, Katri Kulmuni, is even younger at 32, and only one of her coalition partners is over 35.

Marin had previously served as the minister for transport and communication since June this year.

The previous youngest world state leader was Oleksiy Honcharuk, the current prime minister of Ukraine, who was appointed at the age of 35 by comedian-turned-president Volodymyr Zelensky in August.

Despite making global headlines Marin today deflected questions about the international attention she has received over becoming the world's youngest premier.

Prime minister Sanna Marin, 34, (second right) poses with the Minister of Education Li Andersson, 32, Minister of Finance Katri Kulmuni, 32, and Minister of Interior Maria Ohisalo, 34, (left to right) after the first government meeting in Helsinki today

Ministers of the new Finnish government pose for a family photo in Helsinki. (Left to right) Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari, 45, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen, 47, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppä, 60, Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen, 59, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto, 61, Minister of Education Li Andersson, 32, Minister of Finance Katri Kulmuni, 32, Prime Minister Sanna Marin, 34, Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo, 34, Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru, 45, Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä, 53, Minister of Local Government Sirpa Paatero, 55, Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality Thomas Blomqvist, 54, Minister of Social Affairs and Health Aino-Kaisa Pekonen, 40, and Minister of Science and Culture Hanna Kosonen, 43. Three ministers are not photographed

She told reporters outside parliament: 'My own thoughts have been on practical things and this week, I haven't followed what the press have been writing very much either at home or abroad.'

Earlier this week she said: 'I have never thought about my age or gender, I think of the reasons I got into politics and those things for which we have won the trust of the electorate.'

Marin grew up looked after by her mother and her mother's girlfriend, and said that her 'rainbow family' showed her the importance of 'equality, fairness and human rights'.

In a 2015 interview, Marin said she felt 'invisible' as a child, because she could not speak openly about her family setup.

She has also said that her childhood has strongly influenced her political priorities, which include protecting Finland's generous welfare system and low levels of inequality.

Marin worked in a bakery as a teenager and earned money handing out magazines while she was at Pirkkala High School, before becoming the first member of her family to go to university.

The new PM has a 22-month-old daughter, Emma Amalia Marin, with husband Markus Räikköne and shared pregnancy and breastfeeding pictures on her Instagram account.

Defending her frequent use of social media, she said: 'I present a younger generation but of course, when it comes to social media or Instagram, I think that I'm an individual, a person, a real person even though I'm a prime minister.'

She was elected to a city council in 2012, at the age of 27 and became a member of the Finnish parliament for the district of Pirkanmaa in 2015.

Earlier this year she became transport and communications minister under Antti Rinne, who resigned earlier this month after losing the support of a coalition partner.

Finland's new Prime Minister Sanna Marin holding a press conference at Parliament House in Helsinki, today

Ms Marin pictured (above) chairing her first government meeting in Helsinki, Finland, today

'I come from a poor family and would not have been able to succeed and move forward were it not for the strong welfare state and the Finnish education system,' she told Helsingin Sanomat.

The Social Democrats took office in June after defeating the far-right, anti-immigration Finns Party by the narrowest of margins in April's general election.

The victory was seen by some commentators as a triumph for Finland's liberal, equal society over a party that ran on a ticket of cutting asylum levels almost to zero and halting anti-climate change measures.

Speaking after Tuesday's parliamentary vote, Marin pledged to rebuild trust in her party.

'We have promised the Finnish people change and now we must deliver on that promise. In June we agreed a government programme together and I believe it is through actions that we will best restore people's trust,' she said.

Ms Marin's coalition cabinet consists of 12 female and 7 male ministers. (From left to right) Minister of Education Li Andersson, Minister of Interior Maria Ohisalo, Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Minister of Finance Katri Kulmuni

Marin will struggle to defend her leftist views against the Centre Party, which wants action to boost Finnish employment to pay for the costly welfare state. (From left to right) Minister of Education Li Andersson, Minister of Interior Maria Ohisalo, Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Minister of Finance Katri Kulmuni

Sanna Marin was chosen as Finland's new prime minister making her the world's youngest state leader at the age of 34

Twelve ministers in the new cabinet are women and just seven are men. The head of the Centre Party, Katri Kulmuni, 32, becomes finance minister, Green Party leader Maria Ohisalo, 34, continues as interior minister and the Left Alliance's chairwoman Li Andersson, 32, remains education minister.

'Within four years we won't complete Finland but it can become better...I want to build a society in which every child can become anything and in which every human being can live and grow old with dignity,' Marin wrote on Twitter.

The Swedish People's Party's Anna-Maja Henriksson, 55, remains justice minister, the only coalition leader to finish school before the 21st century.

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto (left) swears in new prime minister Sanna Marin (second late) and her cabinet at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, 10 December 2019

Standing opposite Finland's President Sauli Niinisto (left) prime minister Sanna Marin (right) faces the biggest moment of her career to date

Finland's new prime minister Sanna Marin and her cabinet are sworn in at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, 10 December 2019

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto (left) swears in new prime minister Sanna Marin (right) and her cabinet at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, 10 December 2019

President Sauli Niinisto formally handed Ms Marin her mandate today, marking the moment she officially became prime minister.

Prime minister Sanna Marin is sworn in at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, 10 December 2019

The appointment of Ms Marin and her new government allows her to represent Finland at the European Union summit in Brussels later this week.

Finland holds the bloc's rotating presidency until the end of the year.

Finland's government resigned last week after the Centre Party said it had lost confidence in Social Democrat Prime Minister Antti Rinne over his handling of a postal strike.

The new cabinet takes over in the middle of labour unrest and a wave of strikes which have halted production at some of Finland's largest companies for three days.

Ms Marin's coalition cabinet consists of 12 female and 7 male ministers.

The new European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen tweeted: 'It is my great pleasure to congratulate the new Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin.

'Finland has truly taken the gender issues to the next level: all coalition parties are now led by women!'

Deep divisions remained between the main coalition partners, Marin's Social Democrats and the Centre Party.

Marin will struggle to defend her leftist views against the Centre Party, which wants action to boost Finnish employment to pay for the costly welfare state.

Strikes continued as she took office and populist nationalism looms over its politics.

The new prime minister of Finland Sanna Marin (second right) with Minister of Education Li Andersson (left) Minister of Finance Katri Kulmuni (second left) and Minister of Interior Maria Ohisalo (right) after the first meeting of the new government in Helsinki today

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto (left) and prime minister Sanna Marin shaking hands to welcome the new government of Finland today

Marin (right) holding a press conference at Parliament House in Helsinki today after being announced as prime minister

Finland's designated new prime minister, Sanna Marin, being hugged as she arrives to take part in a session of the Finnish Parliament in Helsinki today

Sanna Marin (second right) with Minister of Education Li Andersson (left), Minister of Finance Katri Kulmuni and Minister of Interior Maria Ohisalo (right) after the first meeting of the new government of Finland in Helsinki today

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto (left) shakes hands with Finland's new Prime Sanna Marin as the new government of Finland pays a complimentary visit to the President of Finland at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki today

Kulmuni, chairwoman of the Centre Party which holds the balance of power in parliament, defended her decision to oust the outgoing prime minister Rinne, accusing him of taking the employees' side in recent labour market disputes.

Before his resignation, Rinne defended the publicly-owned postal service's employees in their labour dispute by saying their employment conditions would not be trampled while his government was in office.

'It became sort of an habit to flag in advance in favour of one side, in matters which should be dealt with cool impartiality,' Kulmuni wrote in a long post on Facebook.

Ms Marin speaking as the new government of Finland pays a complimentary visit to the President of Finland at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki

Finland's new prime minister Sanna Marin and her cabinet are sworn in at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, 10 December 2019

Sauli Niinisto shaking hands with previous prime minister Antti Rinne. Mr Rinne has said he plans to continue as party leader until a congress next summer

Having emerged as Finland's largest party in April elections, the Social Democrats were able to appoint one of their own to the post of prime minister in the Nordic nation of 5.5 million people.

The coalition of the Social Democrats, the Centre Party and three junior partners has said it is committed to the government programme agreed on after the April poll and will continue in Ms Marin's new cabinet.

Ms Marin, who was the number two in the Social Democratic Party, takes over from incumbent Rinne, who stepped down a week ago after key coalition partner the Centre Party withdrew its support, citing lack of trust.

Mr Rinne has said he plans to continue as party leader until a congress next summer.

The youngest ever prime minister of Britain was William Pitt the Younger who got into office aged 24 in 1783.

New Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin during a meeting in Helsinki. Finland's new prime minister Sanna Marin is the world's youngest prime minister at the age of 34