Finnish PM takes drug test after party video causes stir

HELSINKI • Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said yesterday that she had taken a drug test in the wake of video footage published earlier this week that showed her partying with friends, and vowed she had never used illegal drugs.

"I have today taken a drug test and the results will come within a week," she told a news conference.

"Never in my life have I used drugs."

Ms Marin, 36, added that her ability to perform her duties remained unimpaired during the night in question and that she would have left the party had she been required to work.

Video clips of Ms Marin partying with Finnish influencers and artists began circulating on social media this week and they were soon published by several media outlets in Finland and abroad.

Ms Marin had faced calls to take a drug test from politicians in her government coalition as well as from the opposition after the videos emerged.

The party clips were originally posted to a private Instagram account. Ms Marin, who became the world's youngest serving government leader in December 2019, said earlier that she knew she was being filmed but never thought the videos would become publicly available.

"These videos are private and filmed in a private space," Ms Marin told reporters. "I resent that these became known to the public," she said, adding that she does not know who leaked them.

Many Finns have voiced support for the young leader for combining a private life with her high-profile career.

But newspaper Helsingin Sanomat said the episode raised questions about her judgment.

"(Ms) Marin may have acted in good faith, but this gullible she should not be," the paper wrote in an editorial.

"The prime minister can, in a sensitive situation, put the weapons of information warfare in the hands of those who would like to hurt Finland," the newspaper said.

REUTERS