Josua Fagerholm,who works in marketing,said the episode was potentially damaging to Finland’s reputation and to the public’s confidence in Finnish politicians.
“I think it’s important for our politicians to be respectable and enjoy the trust of the public. So I don’t think it’s a good look,” he said.
Mintuu Kylliainen,a student in Helsinki,disagreed. She said everyone was entitled to their opinion,but she felt the leaked video was getting too much attention.
“It’s normal to,like,party,” Kylliainen said. “She should have fun,too,in her life.”
Some supporters say the criticism against the prime minister smacks of sexism.
Marin became Finland’s youngest prime minister in 2019 at age 34. Even in the egalitarian Nordic country,Marin felt her gender and age sometimes received too much emphasis. She toldVogue magazine in 2020 that “in every position I’ve ever been in,my gender has always been the starting point – that I am a young woman.”
Anu Koivonen,a professor of gender studies at Finland’s University of Turku,said she didn’t think gender was a decisive factor in the uproar over the leaked video. She said the partying itself was not a big issue,but the fact the video leaked could be viewed as a judgment lapse by the prime minister in terms of the people she surrounded herself with.
“That she didn’t restrain herself in a company where she cannot trust everyone in the room,” Koivonen said. “I think that’s the main issue.”
Jarno Limnell,a cybersecurity expert and politician for Finland’s conservative National Coalition Party,said the partying incident was problematic from a security standpoint,noting that Finland’s top leaders are of interest to foreign security services.
“Information is gathered from a variety of sources,and even seemingly trivial pieces of information can be significant to a foreign power,” Limnell told Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. “Top decision-makers are under close watch during the NATO ratification process.”
It’s not the first time that Marin’s partying has made headlines. In December,she apologised after going out clubbing until 4am and missing a text message advising her to avoid social contacts due to her proximity to someone infected with COVID-19. Marin said she didn’t see the message because she had left her phone at home. She tested negative for the virus.
Even in a progressive society like Finland’s,Marin breaks the mould of a typical politician. She grew up with a single mother who was in a relationship with another woman. Many Finns are proud of her modern approach to the office,including her casual attire. Marin set social media abuzz in April when she showed up to a press conference with her Swedish counterpart wearing a black leather jacket.
Marin and her female-majority cabinet have also won praise in Finland and internationally for guiding the country steadfastly through the COVID-19 pandemic and the NATO application process.
“Our prime minister is super,” said Jori Korkman,a retiree in Helsinki. “She has taken her very difficult job during a very difficult time,and she has made a first-class job. What she’s doing in her free time is not our business.”