Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin apologized on Tuesday (August 23) for a controversial photograph taken at her residence, less than a week after a video showing her partying sparked an avalanche of criticism.
The photo released by the Finnish media shows two women kissing, removing the top of their clothes to bare their chests and covering their chests with a sign "
Finland
".
Sanna Marin, 36, confirmed on Tuesday that the photo was taken at her official residence in Kesaranta, after she attended a music festival which ran from July 8-10.
“
I think the photo is inappropriate, I apologize.
This photo should not have been taken
,” Sanna Marin told reporters in Helsinki.
The Prime Minister explained that at that time, "
friends
" were in her residence to "
spend the evening
" and "
go to the sauna
".
Read alsoIn Finland, difficult aftermath for Sanna Marin
The photograph was first posted on a TikTok account by an influencer and former contestant for the Miss Finland pageant, who appears in the photo herself.
In an editorial on Tuesday, Finland's largest newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat said Sanna Marin appeared to "not
see control of a situation where different materials may still be held by different parties
".
A negative drug test
Sanna Marin made headlines last week when a video leaked that showed her dancing and partying with friends and celebrities.
Some had interpreted comments heard in the video as referring to narcotics, which was the subject of heated debate on social media and led to the Prime Minister taking a drug test on Friday to “
dispel any suspicions
” .
The test was negative, Sanna Marin's office said on Monday.
"
Prime Minister Sanna Marin's drug test dated August 19, 2022 did not reveal the presence of drugs
," Marin's office said in a statement, adding that the results were signed by a doctor. .
Her way of dancing was judged by some as unsuitable for a prime minister while others defended her right to have fun with friends in a private setting.
So far Sanna Marin has enjoyed the support of her party, the Social Democratic Party (SPD).
Antti Lindtman, leader of the SDP group in parliament, told a conference that the prime minister had his group's support.
"
I don't see a big problem with her dancing with friends at a private event.
", he said.
Sanna Marin, the world's youngest head of government when she assumed the post in 2019, has already come under fire for parties at her official residence.
In December 2021, Marin was criticized for dancing until dawn when she was a contact case for Covid-19.
