Finland’s PM says she has taken a drugs test after party video published

Sanna Marin insists she has never taken drugs (Picture: Twitter/Getty)

Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin says she had taken a drugs test following the publication of video footage this week that showed her partying with friends.

Clips of the 36-year-old dancing with well-known influencers and artists began circulating on social media this week and they were soon published by several media outlets in Finland and abroad.

Marin insisted she has never used illegal drugs after they appeared to show someone in the background shouting ‘flour gang’ – ‘flour’ being Finnish slang used to refer to cocaine.

She told a news conference: ‘In recent days, there have been quite grave public accusations that I was in a space where drugs were used, or that I myself used drugs.

‘I consider these accusations to be very serious and, though I consider the demand for a drug test unjust, for my own legal protection and to clear up any doubts, I have taken a drug test today, the results of which will come in about a week.’

Marin, who became the world’s youngest serving government leader in December 2019, had faced calls from members of her governing coalition as well as from the opposition to take a drug test after the videos emerged.

A video posted on social media shows the PM dancing and singing with a group of friends (Picture: Best Image/Backgrid)

The images, of unknown origin and undated, were posted on Twitter by news outlet Visagrad 24 (Picture: Best Image/Backgrid)

Social Democrat leader Marin said she had never taken drugs and that she had not seen anyone doing so at the party she attended.

While many have praised Marin for combining her demanding job with an active private life, others have questioned her decision to allow herself to be filmed even when promised that the videos would not be made public.

At a time when Europe has been unsettled by Russia’s war in Ukraine, Marin has also faced criticism that her partying could interfere with her ability to quickly carry out her duties if a sudden crisis hit Finland.

Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin said she was upset that videos of her dancing at private parties were published online, as they were meant to be seen only by friends https://t.co/FTsLpqsty8 pic.twitter.com/QgrkslWuf2

— Reuters (@Reuters) August 19, 2022

But the PM told reporters: ‘If there were to be a crisis situation, I would know about it before midnight on a Saturday evening.’

She said the Finnish armed forces were well equipped to anticipate any military crisis that might affect the country.

Finland, which shares a long land border with Russia, has applied along with neighbouring Sweden to join NATO following the war in Ukraine.

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