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German newspaper Bild named Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin the “coolest politician in the world” last week, calling the 36-year-old leader “casual, modern and confident” as she navigates the threat from Russia and also attends music festivals. with my friends.
But now it seems that reputation has landed him in hot water after pictures of Marin partying at a private event were leaked online.
In a series of clips posted on Instagram, which emerged on Wednesday, Marin and other revelers are shown belting out Finnish pop music and, when the tempo drops, they break into dance.
The room is covered in a purple haze from the party’s neon lights, which illuminate Marin as she hugs friends, kneels on the floor and sings songs.
As the videos circulated online this week, some critics called his behavior childish, while others accused him of failing to focus on Finland’s cost-of-living crisis.
But many others stopped and asked, What’s all the fuss about? Analysts say Marin’s age and gender, and the intersection between the two, make her a particular target of criticism in a world led primarily by older men.
“I have a family life, a work life and I have free time to spend with my friends. Pretty much the same as a lot of people my age,” Marin said on Thursday, the BBC reported.
He said the videos were private and filmed in a private space. “It bothers me that these are known to the public,” Reuters said.
It was not the first time that Marin, a member of the Social Democratic Party of Finland, was “caught” partying. In December, he apologized for another incident in which he stayed at a Helsinki nightclub until 4 a.m. without his cellphone. While he was away, an alert was sent to Marin’s phone to let him know he was a close contact of someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. (She didn’t end up hiring her.)
Finland’s prime minister apologizes after partying all night despite exposure to coronavirus
His political rivals seized on the new videos this week, calling on Marín to submit to voluntary drug tests. “People can also expect this from their prime minister,” said Center Party Member of Parliament Mikko Karna.
Marin responded and told local channel Yle that she was willing to take a drug test. “I myself have not consumed drugs, or anything other than alcohol. I have danced, sung and partied and done perfectly legal things,” he added.
An editorial in the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat argued that his party was a security risk.
“The prime minister can, in a sensitive situation, put the weapons of information warfare in the hands of those who want to harm Finland,” the editorial said. “There may be more leaks. If not now, then at the next party.”
Marin was the youngest sitting national leader in the world when she was elected in 2019 at the age of 34. Her victory placed her in a small but powerful group of presidents and prime ministers who were elected in their 30s, including New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern and Salvador’s Nayib Bukele. .
As Finnish Prime Minister, Marin succeeded Antti Rinne, who was born in 1962; and before him, Juha Sipilä, who was born in 1961. Marin was born more than two decades later, in 1985.
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Marin’s position in the executive office alone “disrupts what people have historically been comfortable with in terms of age and gender (older men),” Sara Angevine, a political scientist at Whittier College, said in an email electronic
Bettina Spencer, a professor at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, In., said young female leaders are scrutinized more harshly than their older male counterparts.
“Young leaders are not taken seriously based on age stereotypes. Female leaders are not taken seriously based on gender stereotypes. Young women leaders are not taken seriously because of the intersection of their age and gender,” Spencer said.
“As such, they receive harsher scrutiny for any behavior that reinforces the belief that they may not be ‘serious,’ and that includes simply dancing with friends at a private event,” he said.
But not everyone criticized Marín for letting go, instead applauding what they said was a prime minister “who shows that when you work hard, you can play hard.”
Someone else on Twitter asked: “Sanna Marin is the only CEO on earth who has documented friends.”