Yahoo Finance Finland's Prime Minister Admits to Dancing at a Wild Party But Says She Has 'Nothing to Hide' amid Backlash
Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin is defending herself after videos published by a tabloid show her partying with friends.
"I'm disappointed that they've become public," Marin, 36, said of the videos, according to Sky News, which cited Finnish broadcaster YLE. "I spent the evening with friends. Partied, pretty wild, yes. Danced and sang."
Backlash from political opponents include a demand that Marin, who became her country's youngest-ever leader when she was elected at 34, take a drug test, Insider reports.
The videos don't show any drug use but, according to The Guardian, Finnish media have alleged that a voice can be heard in the footage shouting "the flour gang," supposedly a reference to cocaine or amphetamines.
MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Sanna Marin
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"I myself have not used drugs, nor anything other than alcohol," Marin said, The Guardian reports. "Nor have I been in such a situation that I would have seen or known others [using drugs]. I was dancing, singing, partying … hugging my friends, doing totally legal things."
She was adamant that she has nothing "to conceal or hide" and said she will conduct herself as she always has since becoming prime ministers. "I have free time that I spend with my friends," she said. "I'm pretty sure that's the same as many people my age."
Well-known TV and radio hosts, a social media influencer, a YouTuber, a stylist, the singer Alma and an member of parliament from Marin's Social Democratic party also attended the gathering, which the prime minister reportedly said took place "a few weeks ago."
Some people are REALLY mad that #SannaMarin partied. pic.twitter.com/f92C4RVKLS
— DW News (@dwnews) August 19, 2022
A columnist wrote in the Finnish publication Iltalehti that the videos should be taken seriously. "It goes without saying that the prime minister of Finland cannot be present at parties where narcotics prohibited by the criminal code are openly consumed," Lauri Nurmi wrote, according to The Guardian.
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Others defended Marin for what appears to be nothing more than dancing with friends at a private gathering. "I see nothing to write home about," a member of parliament, Antti Lindtman, reportedly said.
Still, Marin said she'd be willing to take a drug test but added that she found the request odd.
"I haven't used drugs, so it's not a problem to go for a test," she said, according to The Guardian. "But I also think it's quite unusual that something like this is required."
In December, Marin apologized for missing a text message sent to her phone advising her to isolate after a colleague tested positive for COVID-19. Marin didn't get the alert because she'd left her phone at home to go clubbing at a Helsinki nightclub, where she was photographed without a mask and reportedly stayed out until 4 a.m.
"I should have used better judgment and also checked the instructions I received," Marin said at the time. "I am sorry that I did not understand this."
