"I sometimes also aspire to joy": criticized in Finland, Sanna Marin defends herself on the verge of tears

On the verge of tears, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Wednesday defended her aspirations for “joy” and “life” after a controversy over videos in which she appears dancing and partying.

" I am a human being.

I sometimes also yearn for joy, light and fun amidst these dark clouds,” she said, her voice shaking, at an event organized by her party in Lahti, in the south of Finland.

"It's private, it's joy and it's life," she said, her eyes misty.

But I didn't miss a single day of work,” she hastened to insist.

A controversy started by a video

The Prime Minister has been the target of controversy since last week after videos of her having fun with friends and celebrities leaked online.

Some blamed her for inappropriate behavior on the part of a Prime Minister, others defended her right to enjoy a private event with her friends.

VIDEO.

Finland: sulphurous evenings, controversy and screening test for Sanna Marin

Comments overheard on the video were interpreted as referring to narcotics, which caused widespread controversy in the country.

The Prime Minister has refuted all of these accusations.

To "dispel any suspicion", Sanna Marin even took a drug test last week, which turned out to be negative.

The Helsinki police also announced in a press release that they would not open an investigation following the release of this video, since no serious offense has been identified in it.

“I want to believe that people will watch what we do at work rather than what we do in our free time,” she pleaded on Wednesday and said the last week had been “pretty difficult”.

A photo revives the controversy

But in the aftermath of her negative results, Europe's youngest prime minister once again found herself in the headlines.

She had to apologize for other photos taken at her residence in July.

One such image, published by Finnish media, showed two women kissing, lifting their tops, their chests covered by a sign that read "Finland".

“I think the photo is inappropriate, I apologize.

This photo should not have been taken”, reacted Sanna Marin in front of the press.

The Prime Minister explained that at that time, “friends” were in her residence to “spend the evening” there and go to the sauna.

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.