Finnish ex-PM Marin quits parliament for advisory role

Finland's former prime minister Sanna Marin, whose Social Democrats lost elections in April, said September 7 she would quit her parliamentary seat to become an adviser for a British non-profit organisation.

Marin said she had been appointed a strategic counsellor at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Barrons.com reports.

"I can also work for Finland in other capacities. This is a job that I feel will be of benefit to Finland as a whole," she told reporters.

Marin said she would "advise governments and leaders of different countries on policy issues that I'm familiar with."

Dubbed a "rock star prime minister" by the media, Marin failed to turn her exceptional popularity to retain power in Finland's general election.

Marin stepped down from the party leadership and had acknowledged that her four-year term as prime minister had taken a toll, saying "my own endurance has been tested at times".

Although a hugely popular leader, Marin was entangled in scandals relating to her private life, polarising her reputation.

In August 2022, leaked social media videos showing Marin partying with a group of Finnish celebrities made news around the world, prompting her to take a drug test to clear suspicions of wrongdoing.