Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin was dancing, drinking and having fun at a party at a friend’s house, but according to the results of the drug test she had to undergo when video of the meeting was released, she did not take any narcotics. The 36-year-old social democrat decided to take the test last Friday after mounting pressure from the media and the opposition, calling into question her ability to reconcile the country’s government and her personal life, including political parties.
According to a Finnish government statement released this Monday afternoon, “the drug test carried out on Prime Minister Sanna Marin on August 19, 2022 found no drugs”. The brief note adds that Marin personally paid for the cost of the analysis.
The leader considered the allegations that she had been to a place where drugs had been taken or consumed herself to be “very serious”. “Although the request to undergo a test seemed unfair to me, I underwent a test today for my own legal certainty and to clarify any doubts,” he announced at a press conference on Friday. The Prime Minister assured that her ability to carry out her work was not affected during the party and that she would have left the session if necessary.
With the test, Marin hoped to settle the summer’s controversy. The video, in which the uninhibited prime minister celebrates with her friends in a house on a Saturday night, was spontaneously hounded as a political weapon by Finland’s far-right formation party. Riikka Purra, head of training, encouraged the prime minister to take the test to “remove any shadow of doubt”. Mikko Karna of the Center Party – Marin’s partner in the governing coalition – joined the spiral on Twitter, saying it was “advisable” for the president to undergo a test “voluntarily”.
Finland’s PM is again criticized for partying! Why can’t she party after work? Do we expect our leaders to be non-human? pic.twitter.com/9fbrGVq9Wa
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) August 18, 2022
The controversy went beyond the borders of Finland. Propagandists linked to the Kremlin took the opportunity to spread the idea that Marin had used drugs without any evidence. She has pushed for Finland’s decision to join NATO alongside Sweden, a move that has angered Russian President Vladimir Putin. “The Prime Minister has reason to be happy that Finland has joined NATO,” said Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki last Friday. Videos circulated on social media over the weekend of people partying and dancing to show their support for the leader.
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Marin projects a carefree young image that strays from the classic canons of politics. During the summer, pictures of the president enjoying festivals such as Ruis Rock circulated on social media. “I want to show that in these jobs there are normal people with normal lives. I have a family life, I have a work life and I have free time to spend with my friends. More or less like many people my age,” said the Prime Minister.
It’s not the first time that the Finnish Prime Minister has been embroiled in a controversy related to her nightly outings. Last December, he was forced to issue a public apology for not isolating after Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, with whom he had been in contact, tested positive for Covid. As he explained, they sent him two text messages updating him on the situation and recommending that he isolate himself at a nightclub, but he didn’t see them until the next day because he forgot his work mobile phone at home.
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