Annika Mikkonen, 18, to be Prime Minister for a day in Girls Takeover on 5 March

Annika Mikkonen, 18, will step into Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s role on Thursday 5 March 2026 as part of the Girls Takeover event organised by Plan International. As Prime Minister, Mikkonen wants to focus especially on eradicating violence against women.

“At the moment, Finland has a reputation as a model country for gender equality. To truly claim its position as a leader, Finland must find permanent solutions for eradicating violence against women.

The first step is to recognise that violence against women and girls is a serious social problem. More than half of all women living in Finland have experienced intimate partner violence. Online spaces are especially unsafe for young women and girls.

Recently, there have been reports of cases where a woman has found the courage to seek help, but the authorities’ response has been inadequate – or has come too late. Too often, we are unable or unwilling to recognise the signs of violence. Victims’ experiences may be downplayed, and their fears or need for protection may not be taken seriously,” said Annika Mikkonen.

On her takeover day, Prime Minister Mikkonen will speak about violence against women in a plenary session of the Government and at a meeting of the National Commission on Sustainable Development. Mikkonen will also meet with several Members of Parliament and with Deputy Chancellor of Justice Mikko Puumalainen.

Annika Mikkonen is an activist who advocates for equality in technology in the Generation Equality Youth Group. She lives in Vantaa and is currently completing her final year of upper secondary school. 

“It is a pleasure to have Annika take my place as Prime Minister for the day. The Girls Takeover campaign is an important reminder that we still have work to do to promote gender equality, including here in Finland. I am especially concerned about harassment and violence against women and girls,” said Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

Inquiries: Veera Svahn, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, tel. +358 295 160 745, Anni Vehmaa, Coordinator, tel. +358 295 160 939 Tuulia Nieminen, Senior Communications Specialist, tel. +358 50 575 1956, Prime Minister’s Office 
 
Email addresses are in the format [email protected].