No drugs found – this is the summary of the four-sentence press release with which the Finnish government informed on Monday afternoon about a medical examination of its boss. It’s the provisional, rather unspectacular end of a night of partying that’s now well-known far beyond the borders of Finland, during which Prime Minister Sanna Marin really let it rip. The question that now arises: Is it also the end of the political debate that followed the festival? And: Has the whole story harmed the head of government? Or is she even the winner in the end?
That cannot be answered with any certainty at the moment. The videos of the party show – as Marin himself has often emphasized in the past few days – at least nothing illegal. Opinions differ greatly as to whether they show anything offensive, even something that could damage the reputation of their office.
In addition to the 36-year-old prime minister, some of her friends can be seen on the recordings – there are quite a few of them – who are dancing, singing and drinking colorful drinks to loud music and disco lights, apparently in a living room and later in a nightclub .
Dressed in white trousers and a black top, the prime minister sometimes kneels on the floor like rock stars do, throws her arms around other revelers or flirts with the camera on her cell phone. A video later surfaced of her dancing with singer Olavi Uusivirta. There has been speculation as to whether it also shows a kiss, but the singer and the head of government denied this.
In any case, Prime Minister Marin looks very happy and relaxed on the videos. Some critics speculated: You can only be so happy if you help with illegal substances. Marin has now dispelled this suspicion with the voluntary drug test, which she paid for herself, as it is in the brief Monday press release called.
“A bit embarrassing,” says the finance minister
However, in addition to such suspicions, there was also criticism that was difficult to refute. At a press conference on Friday about the party night, Marin had to be asked whether it wasn’t irresponsible to celebrate so boisterously, after all, she could be needed in urgent official business, which always occurs in times of Corona and the Ukraine war .
Marin wasn’t on vacation that evening in early November, but was off duty. However, unlike during vacation, no substitution is provided in such cases. Marin assured that she was always available and that top politicians are not forbidden from attending festivals in their free time. “I hope that in 2022 it will be acceptable for decision-makers to dance, sing and celebrate as well.”
Criticism of their free time has meanwhile not only come from political opponents, but also from allies. Finance Minister Annika Saarikko simply called the videos “a bit embarrassing”. The recordings were certainly not meant to be seen by all Finns. Saarikko is the leader of the Center Party, which governs in a coalition with Marin’s Social Democrats. Marin himself said the recordings were indeed intended for “private use” only. “I didn’t want these pictures to be shared. But it’s now up to the voters to decide what they think about it.”
The decision is probably open at the moment. Because in addition to sometimes quite moralizing criticism, Marin also received a lot of support. Under the hashtag #solidaritywithsanna posted people all over the world own party videos to express her sympathy for the top politician who was hit by the shitstorm. In any case, anyone who followed the debate on social media did not get a uniform picture: some find the recordings of the celebrating prime minister embarrassing. Others, on the other hand, find them cool. In the end, the question remains: will such opinions have any impact on the parliamentary elections that will take place in Finland next April?
The fact is that the Social Democrats have fared quite well with Marin as Prime Minister so far. Also because she knows how to present herself on social media. But above all, of course, because it can point to remarkable political successes, for example with the country’s impending accession to NATO.
But it’s also a fact that this isn’t the first time that Marin has been criticized for videos of her free time. In December, recordings of a visit to a disco stirred up spirits in Finland – Marin had celebrated there even though her foreign minister had recently tested positive for Corona. Marin, who had already been vaccinated twice at the time, had not violated any of the corona rules applicable in Finland, but admitted after days of criticism that she should have shown better judgement.