Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has defended her desire for joy and life after a row over videos showing her dancing and having fun.
“I am a human being. I also sometimes look forward to joy, light and pleasure in the midst of these dark clouds,” she said, her voice trembling, during an event organized by her party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), in the southern Finnish city of Lahti.
"It's private, it's a joy and that's life," she said with tears in her eyes, adding: "But I haven't missed a day of work."
The prime minister has been the target of a backlash since last week after videos leaked online showing her partying with friends and celebrities. Some criticized her for behavior unbecoming a prime minister, others defended her right to enjoy a private event with her friends.
Comments heard in the video were interpreted as referring to drugs, a topic hotly debated on social media, which the prime minister denied.
In order to dispel any suspicion, Sana Marin underwent a drug test last week which came back "negative".
"I want to believe that people will see what we do at work rather than what we do in our free time," he said, admitting that the past week had been "rather difficult".
Yesterday, Tuesday, Europe's youngest prime minister made headlines again when she apologized for other photos taken at her residence in July. The photo, published by Finnish media, shows two women kissing, lifting their tops to reveal their breasts and covering them with the words 'Finland'.
"I think the photo is inappropriate, I apologize. This photo should not have been taken," Marin told reporters. The Prime Minister explained that at that moment, "friends" were at her residence to "spend the evening" and go to the sauna.
The photo was first posted on a Tik Tok account by an influencer and former Miss Finland pageant contestant, who also appears in the photo.
kathimerini.gr