On the verge of tears, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Wednesday defended her aspirations for "
joy
" and "
life
" after controversy over videos showing her dancing and partying.
“
I am a human being.
I sometimes also yearn for joy, light and pleasure amid these dark clouds
,” she said, her voice shaking, at an event organized by her Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Lahti, in southern Finland.
"
It's private, it's joy and it's life
," she said, her eyes misting up.
"
But I haven't missed a single day of work
."
Behavior deemed inappropriate
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 criticized her for inappropriate behavior on the part of a prime minister, others defended her right to enjoy a private event with her friends.
Comments heard on the video were interpreted as referring to narcotics, a subject intensely debated on social networks, which was refuted by the Prime Minister.
To "
dispel any suspicion
", Sanna Marin had taken a drug test last week, which turned out to be negative.
"I am sorry for that"
“
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, confident that the past week had been “
pretty difficult
”.
On Tuesday, Europe's youngest prime minister made headlines again when she apologized for more photos taken at her residence in July.
The photo, published by Finnish media, showed two women embracing, lifting their tops to bare their busts and covering their chests with a '
Finland
' sign.
“
I think the photo is inappropriate, I apologize.
This photo should not have been taken
,” Sanna Marin told reporters.
Read alsoIn Finland, difficult aftermath for Sanna Marin
The Prime Minister had 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.