Sanna Marin: Finland's PM tests negative for drugs after leaked party video
Finland's prime minister Sanna Marin has tested negative for drugs after footage emerged of her dancing and singing at a party.
The Finnish government confirmed on Monday that the test taken by the PM on Friday, August 19 did not find any drugs in her system.
Ms Marin has not yet commented but she retweeted the government's announcement of the test results on her official Twitter page.
The government said the test was signed by occupational health doctor Paavo Halonen from Terveystalo.
The PM, who paid for the test herself, came under fire last week after a leaked video showed her dancing and lip-syncing on her knees with five friends at a "wild" house party. A second clip later showed her dancing with Finnish popstar Olavi Uusivirta.
Although the 36-year-old PM denied she'd taken any drugs and said she'd only consumed alcohol, some politicians called for her to take a test after the footage emerged.
Ms Marin, who in December 2019 became the Nordic country's youngest ever PM, said she spends her free time with friends just like others her age and has previously been photographed at music festivals.
She said on Friday that she took the drug test for "her own legal protection" and reiterated that she was enjoying some harmless fun with friends on a weekend where she didn't have any government meetings.
"I had some time off and I spent it with my friends. And I didn’t do anything illegal," she said.
The prime minister insisted that she was entitled to the presumption of innocence.
She also hit back after being questioned over whether she would have been in an appropriate state, if needed, to make quick governmental decisions.
"I don't remember a single time that there was a sudden situation in the middle of the night to go to the State Council Palace," she'd said.
"I think my ability to function was really good. There were no known meetings on the days I was partying."
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She had earlier told Finnish broadcaster YLE that she was "disappointed" the first video had been leaked to press.
“I’m disappointed that it has become public. I spent the evening with friends. Partied - pretty wild, yes - danced and sang,” she said.
The developments have drawn criticism from opposition party politicians who have argued both Ms Marin and the media should be focusing on more important domestic problems.
But media outlets in Finland have chosen to widely report the news, citing the use of the video footage as being in the public interest.