Finland: Private party scandal takes its toll on Prime Minister Sanna Marin

The political figure of Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin suffered a major setback in her country as a result of her photo and video scandal. sidesdespite numerous expressions of solidarity and appreciation of his work as head of the government.

The uproar caused by these photos has placed Sanna Marin in a politically sensitive position as her public image has deteriorated and the opposition, especially the far-right True Finns party, accuse her of spending more time partying than solving the country’s problems. .

According to a recent poll published in the newspaper “Helsingin Sanomat”, 42% of Finns admit that their opinion of the prime minister has worsened as a result of scandals, while only 9% have become better about her, and 46% still think the same way as before.

“SANNA PARTY”

social democratic leaderThe 36-year-old singer made headlines around the world last week after a video of him singing and dancing at a private party with a group of famous people went viral.

Sanna Marin voluntarily passed the test for drugs refute rumors spread social networksthat he was taking drugs, but on the same day that he was proven innocent, a new controversy arose.

The press published a photo of two of Sanna Marin’s girlfriends kissing almost bare-chested at a party held in early July at the official residence of the prime minister, the day after attending a rock festival.

Social networks quickly came up with an ironic nickname for the young president, which was later used by some media: “Bile-Sanna” (something like Sanna party girl).

EMOTIONAL AND POLITICAL PRICE

These contradictions affected, first of all, on an emotional level. At her party’s rally, Sanna Marin, with tears in her eyes and a trembling voice, announced her unpublished picture, her right to “joy and fun” and criticized the fact that pictures of her private life were made public.

But they also had a political cost, since her figure as an effective prime minister, able to successfully govern pandemic covid, or the process of NATO integration, was undermined for reasons unrelated to the work of his government.

Ilkka Ruostetsaari, professor of political science at the University of Tampere, explains in an interview with EFE that in order to understand the controversy caused by images of the celebrating Marin, one must first understand Finnish political culture.

“We were used to our leaders interacting with other members of the economic, political or cultural elite, but this was something new that nautical parties with influencers and celebrities. After watching the videos, many thought that his behavior was inappropriate for a prime minister,” Ruostetsaari said.

In his opinion, it is clear that there are citizens who are dissatisfied nauticalalthough you obviously have the right to spend your free time as you please.

“There are those who think that it is not very timely that we see First Minister parties, while people are living in very difficult times due to rising inflation, the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine”, he points out.

CRITICISM FROM THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT

Sanna Marin has come under fire primarily from conservative spectrum voters who make up the majority outside the metropolitan area. Helsinkibut also by the senior left, a key sector of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which he leads.

“AT Finland, as in other Nordic countries, there is controversy about what is expected of political leaders. On the one hand, we want them to be humble and behave like ordinary people, but at the same time, we expect them to be very competent in making difficult political decisions,” says Ruostetsaari.

Despite media buzz, young president still enjoys majority support RDS and from the other four political groups in the government coalition (the Center Party, the Greens, the Left Alliance and the Swedish People’s Party).

However, there is no doubt that recent scandals have affected his leadership in Executive just seven months before the next general election.

The Social Democrats have warned Marin to avoid further scandals, and his coalition partners want public debate to stop revolving around his personal life and focus on political proposals.

“I think her political figure has weakened because she was the absolute leader of the Social Democrats and they never criticized her before, but now there are critical voices within the party,” Ruostetsaari says.

In his opinion, the SDP remains very dependent on the Prime Minister, because her great popularity contributed to increased support for the Social Democrats and there is no other candidate as charismatic as she is.

“The big problem with the SDP is that its voters are very old – their average age is around 70 – and so the party is making a big effort to attract younger voters. For this reason, Sanna Marin, as a young leader and woman, is very important for the party,” he says.

Despite this, given the closeness of the elections, a new scandal could lead to his party losing confidence in him or that one of his partners in the government decides to break the coalition.

EFE