“I danced and sang. But I did not take drugs », Sanna Marin defends herself
At a time when all eyes are on Finland for being halfway to joining NATO, the leak of a controversial party video of the prime minister has burst into the debate and threatens to blow up the high level of consensus that is required to consummate the process. Sanna Marin, 36, a member of the Social Democratic Party, became the youngest head of government in the country’s history in 2019. Since then there have been several scandals that have occurred due to attitudes considered irresponsible and to a certain extent unbridled given the position she occupies, but never of such magnitude. She to the point that this Friday she has been forced to submit to a drug test, pressured by her coalition partners and the conservative opposition.
Just two minutes, the duration of the recording, have been enough to open a political crisis in the country. In the video, broadcast on social networks, the young president is seen celebrating with self-confidence in the company of different public figures, among which is the Social Democrat deputy Ilmari Nurminen, as well as the presenters Tinni Wikstrom and Karoliina Tuominen, or the ‘ influencer’ Janita Autio. However, what is truly controversial and has caused unease in Finland is that one of those present makes a reference to cocaine in front of the cameras when she shouts: “Flour line!”
Finland’s Prime Minister @MarinSanna is in the headlines after a video of her partying was leaked today.
She has previously been criticized for attending too many music festivals & spending too much on partying instead of ruling.
The critics say it’s not fitting for a PM. pic.twitter.com/FbOhdTeEGw
Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) August 17, 2022
Facing unleashed criticism, Marin, who knew she was being recorded, has tried to make it clear that she did not do anything wrong and that she has the right to enjoy her privacy, like any young person her age. «The videos are private, they were recorded in private places. I spent a night with friends, in which alcohol was consumed, but in which I did not use drugs or witness the use of drugs by others. I danced and sang. But I did not take drugs », he said in statements collected by local media.
To completely settle the doubts, the prime minister underwent a drug test yesterday after the leader of the right-wing Finns Party, Riikka Purra, as well as the deputy Mikko Karna, a member of her government alliance, demanded it. . “The results will arrive within a week,” Marin said at a press conference in which she assured that “never” in her life has she used this type of substance.
IN YOUR CONTEXT
-
The recording.
He appears dancing in a house with a deputy and other figures and one of the attendees shouts: “Flour stripe!”, alluding to cocaine. -
Your defense.
The president argues that it was a private celebration, with friends, and she only drank alcohol. -
Precedents.
She has already been criticized for other events and for going to a nightclub after being in contact with a positive for Covid-19.
In any case, the head of the Executive confessed to feeling “annoyed” by the fact that a recording made at a party with friends came to light. Marin, who said he did not know who could have leaked it, ruled out that it is a publicity stunt less than a year before the next general election, as some voices had suggested. It is true that the video has unleashed countless theories of all kinds. Some even point to alleged Russian hackers, who would have acted in revenge since the president has been in favor of Finland’s entry into NATO and of banning Russian tourism throughout Europe due to the invasion of Ukraine.
other scandals
Hypothesis aside, this is not the first time that Marin has been involved in controversy over her private life. She had previously been questioned about parties organized at her residence and in December 2021 it was also learned that she spent a whole night dancing in a disco despite the fact that she had contact with a positive for Covid-19. However, since she forgot her work phone number, she could not be informed. A few weeks ago, she was also criticized for attending a popular Finnish rock festival wearing groin-length jeans, a dress that many considered inappropriate given the position she holds.
The reproaches have skyrocketed with this latest video because it seems to confirm that she is more interested in enjoying herself than exercising her responsibilities, especially now that the country is about to join NATO and is facing high electricity prices, among other problems stemming from the Russian invasion, with whom it shares a 1,340-kilometre border.
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