Finnish PM takes drug test ‘for his own legal protection’ after video leaks

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said she was drug tested “for her own legal protection” after a video of her dancing and lip-synching at a private party was leaked.

Ms Marin defended her actions, saying she drank with friends but did not use drugs.

A video posted on social media on Thursday showed six people, including Ms. Marin, dancing and singing a duet at a party. Later in the video, the 36-year-old prime minister can be seen dancing on his knees while lip-syncing.

“For my own legal protection, I have taken a drug test and the results will be out in about a week,” Ms Marin told a news conference on Friday, according to the Hufvudstadsbladet newspaper.

Ms Marin, the Nordic country’s youngest prime minister, said in English that she did not have any government meetings that weekend, “I had some time to spend with friends. And I didn’t do anything illegal”.

It is unclear when the gathering will take place.

But the video came after Finland decided to limit the number of visas issued to Russians from September 1, when Russian tourists flocked to Europe.

According to the Finnish government, there are usually around 1,000 visa application appointments per day in Russia, but this number will soon be limited to 500 per day.

Finland, Estonia and other EU countries bordering Russia have been pushing for an EU-wide ban on Russian tourists, but other EU leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Schultz, see the idea as counterproductive.

Despite a ban on air travel from Russia to the European Union, Russians will be able to travel by land across neighboring countries this summer to vacation in Western Europe on tourist visas valid throughout Europe’s borderless travel zone.

“It should be accepted that even policymakers sometimes dance, sing and party,” Ms Marin told reporters on Friday, according to the paper. “It’s up to voters (decision) how they feel about it,” she added.

Finnish parliamentary elections are held every four years and the last election was held in April 2019.

Critics point out that Finland, which shares an 832-mile (1,340-kilometer) land border with Russia, faces high electricity prices and other serious consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The country recently abandoned its long-standing neutrality stance and asked to join NATO.

Ms Marin has previously said that despite her job, she will continue to have a personal life. In July, she attended a popular Finnish rock festival.

In December, she apologised for going out clubbing without a work phone until after 4am and was therefore not told she had been in close contact with a person who had tested positive for Covid-19. She did not test positive.