Perhaps she is the youngest prime minister in the world, but Finnish Sana Marin, 34, told Reuters on Friday she does not feel like an idol.
Marine was appointed Prime Minister on Tuesday, and two days later she found herself shoulder to shoulder with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others at a European Union summit attended by leaders of the 27 member states.
Ursula von der der Line, the European Commission’s president, smiled at Marin and embraced her warmly when they met at the summit in Brussels.
The appointment of a young woman to lead Finland was the focus of media attention around the world, and many considered the new prime minister a "prime example" for people living in societies where older men dominated political action for a long time.
"I don't feel like an idol," she said in an interview. I may be like that for some but we are all human beings. What matters are the issues, not the people behind the issues that we all work on. I think everyone is important. ”
Marin, who started politics in the mid-1920s, said she was concerned with climate change and had a sense of "that the older generation is not getting enough attention."
She said the secret behind her success is hard work.
Marine, who will head a government of 13 women out of a total of 19 ministers, added that she would work closely with European allies.
"We are stronger together," she said. None of us can find solutions alone. "I think we have a platform and we have to use it."