Over the past few weeks, videos and pictures have surfaced depicting Finland’s prime minister, Sanna Marin, attending what appears to be a party night at her official residence with her friends. As expected, these leaks were followed by a fair share of criticism from the public, calling for a more serious attitude from the Finnish prime minister, especially in politically unstable times amidst the Russo-Ukrainian crisis. Marin has responded to calls for an explanation from the public, expressing regrets over her actions, admitting that it was not “appropriate” and that the pictures “should not have been taken”. Furthermore, Marin has since been dragged deeper into controversy following claims — largely amplified by Finland’s far-right groups — that illicit drugs were consumed during these parties. It was reported that “flour gang” was shouted out in one of the leaked videos, hinting toward the possible distribution of cocaine. However, drug test results recently released by Marin have indicated that illegal substances were not consumed.

Marin’s political reputation has been noticeably tarnished, given that Marin had already apologized once before in 2021 after being witnessed at a Helsinki club in the middle of the pandemic. Marin herself has admitted that, although no drugs were consumed during the recent party, she consumed alcohol and partied in a “boisterous way”. This contradicts her claims at the start of her term as prime minister that she only consumed small amounts of alcohol, not enough to impede her decision-making skills for “government tasks”. With the accumulation of the controversies, her breakthrough efforts in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and dragging Finland out of a decades-long military neutrality are being downplayed.

Despite the slew of criticism that Marin has been hit with, a large number of people have also  shown their support for her. Defensive arguments direct attention to the apparent double standards that exist for world leaders. Namely, comparisons were drawn to the British prime minister Boris Johnson’s scandals surrounding his multiple mistresses and possible illegitimate children, as well as Donald Trump’s controversies surrounding his payments toward pornographic actresses. These events went  largely unnoticed without devastating impacts on either of their political careers, while Marin has been bogged down in something that seems much less significant in comparison. In addition to this, many have pointed out that considering Marin’s status as one of the younger politicians, taking office at just 34, it is completely expected and acceptable that she would engage in such activities in her spare time. In light of these opinions, some have recently named her the “coolest prime minister in the world”.

It is clear that Marin’s recent actions have brought controversial opinions that have expanded beyond just a purely political viewpoint. It has also highlighted modern social issues regarding the double standards that seem to exist between male and female politicians. This brings a question to the table: has a controversy like this actually been overdue? A political environment should represent the wider interests of our current society, not a throwback to our patriarchal past. A public issue, like this, should usher in some attention to call for change to break out of our former norms.