Transport Minister Sanna Marin has been elected chairman of the Social Democratic Party, becoming the youngest prime minister in Finnish history.
The 34-year-old, whose party is part of a five-member ruling coalition, will also be the world's youngest prime minister when he officially takes office. She is the third female driver in Finland.
As Finland's largest party after the April elections, the Social Democrats can elect one of their members to run the country with 5.5 million people.
She was elected after Antti Rinne resigned on Tuesday when one of the parties in the coalition said they had lost faith in him due to the mismanagement of a strike.
"We have a lot of work ahead and need to rebuild the relationship," Marin said after winning the party leadership. "I never thought about my age or gender, I think about the reasons I got involved in politics and the things that gave us the confidence of the electorate."
The other four parties in Finland's ruling coalition are also headed by women. The Left Alliance is led by Li Anderson, 32; The Green League is run by Maria Ohisalo, 34; The Center Party is led by Katri Kulmuni, 32; and Anna Maja Henriksson, 55, run the Swedish People's Party.
According to the largest Finnish media Helnsingin Sanomat and the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, Marin will become the youngest prime minister in the world. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is 39, while Ukraine's Oleksiy Honcharuk is 35. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is believed to be 35.
Source: The Guardian