Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has been criticized for behaving in ways that she considered incompatible with her duties, according to some politicians. She claims the right to spend her free time as she pleases.
The Finnish Prime Minister in the heart of the critics. A video of Chief Executive Sanna Marin posted to social media this week showing her partying with friends continues to cause a stir around the country.
A section of the Finnish opposition denounces a resignation that is incompatible with his function as head of state. For her part, the 36-year-old Prime Minister has claimed the right to do as she pleases with her free time. She has also agreed to undergo an anti-drug test, as requested by some elected officials.
• What does the video showing the Prime Minister contain?
The case begins with the release of a video on Twitter on Wednesday showing Sanna Marin spending an evening with a group of people portrayed as relatives. The head of government appears there dancing and singing in a festive setting. The images, undated, are of unknown origin.
The Prime Minister will later point out that the videos are “private” and “shot in private places” while she was “spending an evening with friends”.
Among the people accompanying him, several Finnish celebrities have been identified by Iltalehti media, including a singer, a stylist or even a YouTuber. The images are quickly picked up by many national and international media.
• What is he accused of?
The video of the prime minister, who is also leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), has some of the Finnish opposition ticking. While part of the political class believes that Sanna Marin can organize her free time as she pleases, others see the image of the 30-year-old as insufficient for her office.
Others even felt that Sanna Marin posed a risk to the country’s security and questioned its ability to make decisions in the event of a sudden crisis.
Other Finnish politicians, on the other hand, complained that this issue took precedence over other more important issues.
• What did she answer?
In the face of criticism, Sanna Marin decided to take it easy, expressing her “disappointment” that a private video was shared on social media, according to the AP.
The controversy has no place for the 30-year-old, who is currently the youngest head of government in the world. “I have a family life, a professional career and I have free time to spend with my friends. Just like a lot of people my age,” she said.
No way for them to put an end to their moments of relaxation. “I will continue to be exactly the same person that I have been and I hope that it will be accepted,” she said.
• Why did she take a drug test?
After the images were broadcast, some elected officials wondered about the prime minister’s sobriety, with True Finns MP Riika Purra casting “a shadow of a doubt” on the subject, according to the BBC.
These attacks prompted the Democratic leader to address a news conference on the issue in an attempt to silence the controversy. Admitting to drinking on Friday, she affirmed that she had not consumed any narcotics or seen drugs in circulation that night.
“To clear up any suspicions, I passed a drug test,” she also stated, adding that she had “never used such substances in (her) life.” Results are expected within a week.
• Is this his first controversy?
Sanna Marin was previously pinned down for a night out at a Helsinki nightclub last December. This time she was accused of failing to comply with a period of isolation when she was considered a contact case of Covid-19.
The Prime Minister had defended herself by saying that she was initially instructed that she did not have to isolate herself because she was double vaccinated. She would have then left her work phone at home, where two text messages had been sent to her, eventually telling her not to leave her house. In the end she apologized.
The head of government has been seen several times at festive events in Finland since her election in 2019, such as the Ruisrock Festival last July or the Flow Festival in Helsinki in mid-August. Excursions regularly pointed out by a section of the political class.
Juliette Desmonceaux with AFP