Finland’s prime minister says she has taken a drug test after she was criticized for leaked video footage that showed her dancing and partying with a group of friends.
Sanna Marin, 36, said she took the drug test after politicians in the country called for her to be tested for narcotics, claiming that her self-described “boisterous” behaviour in the video could be a sign she was using drugs.
The video, which surfaced Thursday, shows six people at a private party dancing and lip-syncing a song, including Marin. Later in the video, the prime minister is on her knees dancing while lip-syncing.
Marin was upset the video had leaked, saying it was “private, not intended for public viewing,” according to The Guardian.
“I feel like footage is shot all the time, everywhere, and it doesn’t feel good,” she said. “Even normal things are made to look bad.”
Some of Marin’s opponents criticized her behaviour in the video as unbecoming of a prime minister.
Mikko Karna, an opposition MP, tweeted Thursday that Marin should be subject to drug testing.
“The people are also allowed to expect this from their prime minister,” he wrote, according to Twitter’s translation feature.
Speaking to Finnish media on Friday, Marin told reporters the results of the test would be available in a week.
She said she had never taken drugs, “not even in my teenage years,” and that she had taken the test “for my own legal protection and to clear up any doubts,” reports The Guardian.
Marin also said she did not see any drugs being taken at the party and that she consumed a “moderate” amount of alcohol that night but would have been able to take on emergency work tasks that night, if needed.
“I walked normally from the restaurant to the car and went home, and woke up feeling normal the next morning,” she said.
Marin has served as prime minister of Finland since 2019. When she took office, at 34 years old, she was the youngest person to be selected for the position in Finnish history.
It’s no secret that Marin likes to have a good time. She is often photographed at music festivals and has faced criticism for her partying in the past — in December she apologized after going out clubbing until 4 a.m. without her work phone, hence failing to be informed that she had been in close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19. She didn’t test positive.
However, many have pointed out that it’s not illegal to dance and have fun, and many have sided with Marin, saying the footage is a non-issue.
However, opposition party politicians say the prime minister should focus her attention on important domestic problems instead of partying.
Marin has said previously that she will continue to have a personal life despite her job.
— with files from The Associated Press
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