Sanna Marin: Finnish PM says ‘I’m human’ in emotional speech after partying backlash

Young leader says she never neglects work for leisure time

Finland’s prime minister, Sanna Marin, has given an emotional speech in defence of her private life after being criticised about a video that showed her dancing at a raucous party in addition to the publication of a photograph taken at her residence of two topless women kissing.

“I too am human. And I too sometimes long for joy, light and fun among these dark clouds,” the 36-year-old leader said, appearing close to tears as she addressed a crowd of her political party’s members in the southern Finnish town of Lahti.

The Social Democratic Party leader told members she had never missed a day of work nor “left a single task undone” because of her leisure time.

Marin gestures to the crowd in Lahti (AP)

“I do my job. I learn from this,” Ms Marin said. “This week has not been easy. It has been difficult. But I want to believe that people look at the work we do, not what we do in our free time.”

In the video leaked last week, Ms Marin appeared with friends at a private party. She said she attended the party in recent weeks, but refused to say exactly where and when.

She has acknowledged that she and her friends celebrated in a “boisterous way” and that alcohol was involved, though she said she was not aware of any drug taking.

On Monday, she said that a drug test she had taken to end speculation about illegal substance use had come back negative. Helsinki police said on Tuesday their preliminary investigation into the video had concluded without finding any grounds to suspect a crime.

Another controversy swiftly followed with the publication of a photo that showed two women kissing and posing topless during a party last month at the official summer residence of Finland’s leader in Helsinki.

Marin had a choked voice as she spoke (Reuters)

On Tuesday she apologised for the image, which has been deleted, saying: “I don’t think that picture is appropriate. I think that picture should not have been taken.”

One of the women in the picture, model Sabina Sarkka, also apologised.

Ms Marin told Finnish media that she organised the party at Kesaranta after the Ruisrock music festival in Turku, west of Helsinki, and gave the details of all guests to security at the residence.

Marin is hugged by a supporter in Lahti on Wednesday (Lehtikuva/AFP/Getty)

One of Finland’s major newspapers, Helsingin Sanomat, reported that the crowd in Lahti was largely sympathetic to the prime minister.

But with a general election scheduled next year, frustration is growing among members of the prime minister’s party.

One party member quoted anonymously by Sanomat noted that Finland was still a relatively conservative country, especially outside the capital region.

Some members interviewed by the paper were critical of her judgement regarding the war in Ukraine and Finland’s pending bid to join Nato.