Finnish premier Sanna Marin dance party video sparks outrage - The Washington Post.
Germanyâs Bild newspaper named Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin the âcoolest politician in the worldâ last week, calling the 36-year-old leader âcasual, modern and self-confidentâ as she navigates the threat from Russia â and also attends music festivals with her friends.
In a series of clips posted to Instagram, which emerged on Wednesday, Marin and other partygoers are shown bopping along to Finnish pop music â and when the beat drops, they break out into dance.
As the videos circulated online this week, some critics called her behavior childish, while others accused her of not staying focused on Finlandâs cost-of-living crisis.
But many others paused and asked: Whatâs all the fuss? Analysts say that Marinâs age and gender â and the intersection between the two â make her a particular target for criticism in a world led mostly by older men.
âI have a family life, I have a work life and I have free time to spend with my friends. Pretty much the same as many people my age,â Marin said Thursday, the BBC reported.
It wasnât the first time Marin, a member of Finlandâs Social Democratic Party, has been âcaughtâ partying. In December, she apologized for another incident in which she stayed out at a Helsinki nightclub until 4 a.m. without her cellphone. While she was out, an alert was sent to Marinâs phone to let her know she was a close contact of someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. (She did not end up contracting it.)
Her political rivals seized on the new videos this week, calling on Marin to undergo voluntary drug screenings. âThe people are also allowed to expect this from their prime minister,â said Mikko Karna, a member of Parliament from the Center party.
Marin fired back, telling local outlet Yle that she was willing to take a drug test. âI have not used drugs myself, or anything other than alcohol. Iâve danced, sung and partied and done perfectly legal things,â she added.
âThe prime minister can, in a sensitive situation, put the weapons of information warfare in the hands of those who would like to hurt Finland,â the editorial said. âThere may be more leaks. If not now, then at the next party.â
Marin was the worldâs youngest sitting national leader when she was elected in 2019 at age 34. Her victory placed her in a small but powerful group of presidents and prime ministers who were elected in their 30s, including New Zealandâs Jacinda Ardern and El Salvadorâs Nayib Bukele.