The US could learn something from Finland’s young PM

With an average age of 64, the US Senate is significantly older than the population it represents, writes Holly Baxter

Sanna Marin expressed disappointment that private footage was made public (AP/Andrew Medichini)

The story of Sanna Marin, the Finnish prime minister who was photographed out partying, then cajoled into taking a drugs test by members of the opposition, is an interesting one. Despite the criticism of many (mostly male) colleagues hoping to score political points, she enjoyed a lot of support. Women released videos of themselves dancing in solidarity during the so-called scandal.

In 2021, Marin was criticised for going out clubbing in different circumstances – after knowingly coming into contact with someone who’d tested positive for Covid. That was a much more serious transgression, the likes of which ended political careers in other countries such as New Zealand and damaged them elsewhere (lest we forget Boris Johnson’s birthday party). But Marin survived it, admitted her fault and apologised, and the nation moved on. It looks like the same will happen with this comparatively minor controversy, too.

It shouldn’t be surprising that Marin acts like a young person; by global political standards, she’s practically a newborn. Elected to parliament at the age of 29, she became Finland’s PM at 34 and is now 36. Perhaps the reason everyone’s so up in arms about seeing the leader of a country – especially a female leader – dancing and partying is simply because the image is so unfamiliar. In the US especially, where many describe the situation of old elites at the top of government and the Supreme Court as a “gerontocracy”, it’s more common for a politician to have a heart attack or lose their footing on a slippery surface than it is for them to be caught out past 10pm.

In 2024, during the next US general election cycle, Joe Biden will be 81 years old. Right now, he’s 79 — and he sits at the top of Congress alongside speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi, age 82, and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (who Axios describes as “a relatively youthful 71”). On the Republican side, the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, is 80. Donald Trump will be 78 in 2024, and if he decides to run against Biden, it’s not going to be a very dynamic-looking contest. In the interests of fairness, it wouldn’t be any more dynamic if a more left-leaning candidate or a woman who recently put themselves forward for president were involved either – say, Bernie Sanders, age 80, or Hillary Clinton, age 74.

The average age of lawmakers in the Senate is 64 years old; five of them are over 80, with a couple soon to turn 90. Meanwhile, the average age of the House of Representatives – which is styled as the hot-headed, youthful wing of Congress that needs “cooling down” by the “teacup” of the Senate – is 58 years old. The American politicians who we tend to think of as unusually young are also not so youthful in reality: Josh Hawley, who infamously raised his fist during the January 6 insurrection then ran away when rioters began pouring into the Capitol, is often talked about as if he’s just a wayward kid, but he’s 42. Indeed, the youngest senator of them all, Jon Ossoff, is 35, older than when Sanna Marin first became prime minister – and he’s an incredible outlier in his own country.

When very old people make laws, there’s not much room for serious progression. And there’s also a lot more to lose if you’ve spent 30 years making your way to the presidency. At that point, you’re probably a career politician who will do what you can to maintain power. You’re perhaps unlikely to bring in bold new initiatives. Trump wasn’t touting change, after all — he was talking about going backwards, “making America great again”. Biden effectively sold the same sauce. It was all about nostalgia for a “better time”.

Liberals in the US often bring up Nordic countries like Finland as a vision of what proper social policy looks like: one with adequate parental leave, a social safety net, free childcare and better wealth equity. Perhaps they could achieve this if they looked to Finland as an example in something else. Encouraging older politicians to retire so new blood can take its place could be key to making America an energetic force again. One thing’s for sure: in a country where the median age is 38, it would certainly mean lawmakers were more in touch with the populace.