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Leaked video of partying PM Sanna Marin sparks controversy in Finland

Video shows Sanna Marin dancing, singing and drinking with a group of friends

Sravasti Dasgupta
Thursday 18 August 2022 13:30 BST
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Finland’s prime minister Sanna Marin is facing backlash after a leaked video of her partying emerged on social media on Wednesday.

The video shows Ms Marin drinking with a group of friends, singing and dancing to songs by Finnish rapper Petri Nygård and pop singer Antti Tuisku.

The video appears to be from Instagram stories, reported news.com.au.

It also shows several Finnish public figures, including singer Alma, influencer Janita Autio, TV host Tinni Wikström, YouTuber Ilona Ylikorpi, radio host Karoliina Tuominen, stylist Vesa Silver and MP Ilmari Nurminen from Ms Marin’s Social Democratic Party, reported Iltalehti newspaper.

The report said that it is not possible to know when the video was filmed but appeared to have been taken at a private apartment.

It added that Ms Marin and her staff could not be reached for a comment on Wednesday.

This is not the first time that prime minister has faced backlash for partying.

Ms Marin, 36, came under fire last year for partying at a nightclub despite knowing she had come in contact with foreign minister Pekka Haavisto who had contracted Covid-19 in December.

Ms Marin had issued a lengthy statement apologising on Facebook and said that she was “really sorry” for her actions after photographs of her dancing with friends till about 4am were published by Seiska, an entertainment magazine, sparking criticism.

Ms Marin became Finland’s youngest ever prime minister in 2019. She leads a coalition government of five parties.

She also faced criticism last year for posing for a photograph with Janne Raninen, a former hit man who spent two decades in prison for two gang-related murders.

However, she has also been hailed for her stand against Russia in the ongoing war in Ukraine and has been at the forefront of efforts to make Finland and Sweden a part of Nato

Last week Ms Marin’s government along with Estonia urged the EU to ban Russians from receiving tourist visas, shortly after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky made the same plea to the West.

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