Finnish Prime Minister’s party video erupts in political debate

A video leaked and spread by social networks of the Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, at a party with friends has generated a political debate in Finland and part of the opposition has called for the ‘premier’ to undergo a drug test.

The recording shows Marin dancing with various public figures, including MP Ilmari Nurminen of the Social Democratic Party, as well as presenters Tinni Wikstrom and Karoliina Tuominen, or the ‘influencer’ Janita Autio.

“I have nothing to hide. I haven’t used drugs, so it’s not a problem to test. But I also think it’s quite special that something like this is required,” Marin defended himself to reporters on Thursday, as reported by Finnish daily ‘Helsingin Sanomat’.

Marin has also stated that she “has a family life, a work life” and “free time” that she spends with her friends, so she said she was disappointed at the publication of these videos on social networks. “I regret that they have been published,” she added.

However, in the wake of the uproar caused by the spread of the video, which features a comment about flour–a term associated with cocaine–the leader of the right-wing Finns Party, Riikka Purra, as well as MP Mikko Karna, have demanded that Marin undergo a drug test.

“Just for the sake of public debate, it would be wise for the prime minister to voluntarily submit to a drug test, the results of which would be published by an independent body,” Purra has said on his Twitter profile.

For her part, the leader of the Christian Democrats’ parliamentary group, Paivi Rasanen, has pointed out that the prime minister has the right to private life and also to disconnect with her friends, as long as it is done within the limits of the law.

“What surprised me was that it was clearly videotaped. It wasn’t a cryptic video, people were coming out. It’s quite careless when something like that spreads easily,” he explained, as reported by the daily ‘Iltalehti’.