Sanna Marin: Finnish Prime Minister tests negative for drugs after party video row

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Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has tested negative for drugs after a leaked video showed her dancing at a party.

A statement on the government website on Monday confirmed no narcotics were found in the test, which Ms Marin had paid for herself.

Ms Marin, 36, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) had agreed to the test after criticism from opposition politicians, who claimed it showed inappropriate behaviour.

Her opponents had called on Ms Marin to take the test after it was alleged that she was socialising with people who used illegal substances.

But Finnish women have been sharing videos of themselves dancing to express support for the world’s youngest head of state, with the row branded ‘ridiculous’.

When she announced she was taking the test last week, Ms Marin said: “I have nothing to hide. I have never taken drugs. Personally, I did not take drugs, nor did I consume anything other than alcohol.

“I danced, sang, and partied – perfectly legal things. And I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve seen or known of others [using drugs].”

Ms Marin also said that she “resents” that private videos filmed in a private space were leaked to the public.

The first video, which appears to be from Instagram Stories, showed Ms Marin drinking with a group of friends, singing and dancing was released on 17 August.

Soon after, a second video was leaked, in which Ms Marin could be seen dancing with a male popstar at a nightclub in Helsinki.

The man was later identified as Finnish singer-songwriter Olavi Uusivirta, who posted on Instagram that ‘nothing inappropriate’ happened between the two.

There was no evidence of illicit drug-taking in the video, but some media outlets claimed the phrase jauhojengi – meaning “powder gang”, interpreted as alluding to cocaine – could be heard in one of the leaked clips, Finland’s public broadcaster Yleisradio Oy (YLE) reported.

Throughout her premiership, Ms Marin has made a point of spending her free time with friends just like others her age, even though this has meant criticism that she spends too much time at music festivals and not enough governing.

“I want to show that there are ordinary people with ordinary lives in these jobs. I have a family life, I have a work life and I have free time to spend with my friends,” she has said.

The PM was last in trouble for partying in 2021 when she went to a nightclub despite recently having been in contact with foreign minister Pekka Haavisto, who had just contracted Covid-19.