Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin apologises for topless picture of influencers at official residence
24 August 2022, 14:26 | Updated: 24 August 2022, 14:31
Finland's prime minister has been forced to apologise after a photo was posted on social media that showed two topless women kissing at her official government summer residence.
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The photo came out after a video that showed Prime Minister Sanna Marin dancing and singing with friends prompted a debate about whether the 36-year-old head of government should be enjoying an excessive social life.
Ms Marin confirmed the photo was taken in a bathroom at an official residence of Finnish prime ministers following a music festival in early July.
Ms Marin does not appear in the image; the two women featured have their chests covered with a sign that says "Finland".
One of the women, described as a social media influencer, posted the photo, which was removed shortly after news outlets started reporting about it.
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"In my opinion, that photo is not appropriate, I apologise for that. That photo shouldn't have been taken," Ms Marin said, according to Finnish broadcaster YLE.
Sabina Särkkä, 33, a social media influencer who was one of the topless women in the picture, also said she was "deeply sorry" for causing further embarrassment Ms Marin.
Ms Särkkä said: "I published on 10.7. an inappropriate picture that should not have been taken. I am deeply sorry and apologize for my behaviour."
She said the post-festival gathering was a private party and the names of all guests were provided to the security detail that monitors the Kesaranta property, located in the northern part of Helsinki.
The two-story wooden villa from 1873 features a seaside sauna, a pavilion, a jetty, and a tennis court.
"We were using the sauna facilities and the garden area, but we did not spend time inside the Kesaranta house, although the downstairs guest toilets were in use," Ms Marin said, according to YLE.
In the video leaked last week, Ms Marin appeared with friends at a different private party.
She has acknowledged that she and her friends celebrated in a "boisterous way" and that alcohol - but, to her knowledge, no drugs - was involved.
Ms Marin said she attended the party in recent weeks, but refused to say exactly where and when. She said on Friday that she took a drug test to put an end to speculation about illegal substance use.
The results were negative, Ms Marin reported on Monday, adding she paid for the test herself.
One of Finland's major newspapers, Helsingin Sanomat, reported that with a general election scheduled next year, frustration is growing among member's of the prime minister's Social Democratic Party.
While no-one is talking about pressuring Ms Marin to resign and she remains popular within the party, some members interviewed by the newspaper were critical of her judgment amid the war in Ukraine and Finland's pending bid to join Nato.
One party member, Helsingin Sanomat, quoted anonymously noted that Finland still is a relatively conservative country, especially outside the capital region.
Ms Marin heads a five-party governing coalition, and it has won praise for guiding the country steadfastly through the Covid-19 pandemic and the Nato application process.
