Finnish PM Sanna Marin’s party-loving celebrity friends

Finland’s ‘party Prime Minister’ Sanna Marin came under fire this week after a leaked video showed her enjoying a raucous evening with celebrity friends.

Critics suggested she should be tested for drugs following her highly spirited display, but the 36-year-old yesterday insisted she has the same right to a night off as everyone else and ‘everyone needs a fun and relaxed evening out’.

She said that she should be allowed to let her hair down ‘in a boisterous way’ after spending most of her time juggling the responsibilities of governing and being a mother to her four-year-old daughter.

The married politician added that ‘nothing inappropriate’ happened following a newly-leaked video that showed her dancing hip-to-hip with male pop singer Olavi Uusivirta in Helsinki’s Klubi nightclub at 4am, and said her only regret is that ‘private’ videos had made it into the public domain.

Ms Marin said she has also submitted to a drugs test to prove her innocence after more footage taken earlier in the evening and which leaked on Thursday showed her dancing with friends in a house while someone in the background shouts ‘flour gang’.

‘Flour’ is Finnish slang often used to refer to cocaine. Ms Marin said she has never taken drugs in her life, and did not see anyone taking them on the night out in question which stretched from the evening of Saturday August 6 until the very early hours of Sunday 7.

Among the public figures seen in one of the videos are Finnish singer Alma and her sister Anna, rapper Petri Nygard, TV host Tinni Wikstrom, photographer and influencer Janita Autio, radio host Karoliina Tuominen, as well as MPs from her own Social Democratic party.

Here, FEMAIL takes a look at the pals who joined Ms Marin on her ‘wild’ night out… 

Sanna Marin was plunged into fresh controversy when new video footage showing her dancing hip-to-hip with a male pop singer in a nightclub at 4am surfaced

POPSTAR OLAVI UUSIVIRTA 

Mr Uusivirta (pictured), 39, wed Finnish actress Saara Kotkaniemi, 34, in 2015 and the pair share one daughter together, born in 2014. They met each other at the Helsinki Theatre Academy when both part of the MA acting class of 2012

More footage which leaked Friday came from a nightclub that Ms Marin and her entourage are said to have arrived at around 2.30am and stayed in until 4.30am.

They show her surrounded by a group of friends, including several male companions. At one point, Ms Marin is shown dancing with Mr Uusivirta as she puts her arm around his shoulders and he puts his face to her neck.

Witnesses who spoke to Finnish media say she danced with another two men in similar fashion and sat on the laps of another two

Mr Uusivirta, 39, wed Finnish actress Saara Kotkaniemi, 34, in 2015 and the pair share one daughter together, born in 2014. They met each other at the Helsinki Theatre Academy when both part of the MA acting class of 2012.

He started playing guitar, drums and piano in school, where he and his friends created a band – before working on his first solo album in 2002.

The songwriter released his first album Nuoruustango at 20 years old and released his second two years later in 2005. Two songs from the album became radio hits.

He won the best rock album of the year award in 2016 at the Finnish music awards Emma Gaala for his album Olavi. He’s also played in various TV and films in Finland.

The Visit Finland website notes that the singer is ‘one of Finland’s most beloved performers, with the ability to light up an entire audience right up to the back rows with his irresistible energy’.

INFLUENCER JANITA AUTIO 

Marin pictured ready to party at the Flow festival in Helsinki with photographer and influencer Janita Autio – who was featured in the party video – on the latter’s Instagram account

While Ms Marin has criticised the person who leaked the video, she is known for sharing some snippets of her personal life with the public on her Instagram account – including trips with her husband, Markus Raikkonen, a former football player, and lavish events where she shows off her glamorous side.

Earlier this summer Ms Marin donned a sequinned dress and teamed up with photographer and influencer Janita Autio as they let down their hair at the Flow Festival in Helsinki, where it’s thought she took to the stage.

Autio is a self-taught photographer, taking snaps of public figures, and appeared in one of the leaked videos.

The blogger and social media influencer has nine sisters and four brothers and moved to Helsinki in 2015, where a year later she was noted to be one of the most popular and sought-after photographers in Finland.

Mostly shooting portraits, the photographer has captured the Finnish Prime Minister and even Kim Kardashian.

The famous figure has 47,000 followers on Instagram, updating fans on fashion and photography as well as showcasing her jet-set lifestyle. 

SINGER ALMA

Finnish singer Alma (pictured), and her sister Anna, was also thought to be captured in one of the leaked videos

Finnish singer Alma, and her sister Anna, was also thought to be captured in one of the leaked videos.

The 26-year-old started her career in 2013, when placing fifth in the seventh season of the Finnish version of Idol (similar to The Voice). She was later signed to Universal Musical Group.

In 2017, she reached the top twenty in Germany and the United Kingdom with her single ‘Chasing Highs’ and in 2018, her Heavy Rules Mixtape reached the top ten in Finland.

She has collaborated with Charlie XCX and previously detailed their wild nights out to Elle, explaining: ‘I had this very expensive Air BnB and we kind of f****** trashed the place. 

‘She called everyone. There were so many people. People were jumping from the roof to the pool. We woke up and there was a bike in the pool. A big pink bike.’

She also explained how she wants to be popular in Britain, saying: ‘I just love UK crowds. I’ve always wanted to have a career in the UK, I’ve always loved it over here. I think the UK is cool.’

The singer warmed up for Justin Bieber at a gig in Italy but was too shy to say hello amid concerns she’d have a ‘proper fangirl’ moment. 

RAPPER PETRI NYGARD

Petri Nygård, 47, is a Finnish rapper. He was among the public figures seen in the leaked video

Petri Nygård, 47, is a Finnish rapper. He was among the public figures seen in the leaked video.

He is well-known in Finland for his provocative stage shows and sexually explicit lyrics, which often include themes of alcohol, parties, sex and women.

He was raised in Sweden before moving to Chicago and eventually to Finland, Helsinki.

The rapper – who had renewed success in recent times thanks to his music being popular on music streaming sites such as Spotify – debut studio album Mun Levy! sold at least 25,000 copies.

TV HOST TINNI WIKSTROM

TV and radio presenter Tinni Wikstrom (pictured), who was at the same party as the Prime Minister, took to her Instagram account yesterday to comment on the uproar

In a post (pictured), she wrote: ‘The last two days have been absolutely terrible. The situation has become unreasonable’

TV and radio presenter Tinni Wikstrom, who was at the same party as the Prime Minister, took to her Instagram account yesterday to comment on the uproar.

In a post, she wrote: ‘The last two days have been absolutely terrible. The situation has become unreasonable.

‘Everything I’ve done has been legal, and I haven’t done anything wrong,’ she insisted, while adding that her ‘own endurance has been put to the test’.

She concluded: ‘I wish myself peace of life, peace of work and peace of mind. I hope that acquaintances and strangers will continue to put on their dancing shoes and enjoy life and friends.’

Tinni hosts the popular weekday programme for Radio Suomipop, which she joined in 2017 in Finland. She has also been a backstage presenter at The Voice of Finland in 2016 to 2017.

Not your average stuffy politician! Finnish PM Sanna Marin, 36, seen dancing wildly in leaked video leads Pride events after being raised by two mothers, posed ‘topless’ on fashion magazine cover and still goes clubbing

By Jessica Taylor for MailOnline

Sanna Marin has broken down several barriers since she became Finland’s prime minister in 2019 when she was just 34 years old.

At the time, the daughter of a female same-sex couple became the youngest world leader and the Scandinavian country’s third female prime minister.

But while Finnish opinion polls for Marin’s coalition government remain steadily positive, some people have raised questions about the mother-of-one’s ‘partying’ lifestyle.

Sanna Marin, 36, became the prime minister of Finland in 2019 when she was just 34 – and while her approval ratings are strong, people have questioned her ‘partying’ lifestyle

Marin is often spotted out and about with her husband Markus Räikkönen

Marin has come under fire after a video of herself partying with around 20 other revellers surfaced, with some MPs even urging her to take a drugs test

After a video surfaced of Marin, who shares a daughter Emma Amalia Marin with her husband Markus Räikkönen, dancing with some celebrity friends while music blared in the background, the PM received criticism for her antics. 

Included in the group of revellers was Finnish singer Alma and her sister Anna, rapper Petri Nygard, TV host Tinni Wikstrom, photographer and influencer Janita Autio, radio host Karoliina Tuominen, as well as MPs from her own Social Democratic party.

The video comes just eight months after Marin was forced to apologise for going out clubbing after coming into contact with a Covid-19 case.

Pictured out in Helsinki with her friends last December, she did not have her official phone on her, which was where she received the notification she needed to isolate.

Premier Sanna Marin, 36, was seen enjoying a night out at the Butchers nightclub with friends on Saturday – so much so that she did not leave until 4am

In 2020, she became the subject of controversy and was accused off posing ‘topless’ by her critics after appearing on the cover of Finnish fashion magazine Trendi wearing a black blazer without a top underneath. 

The the politician’s outfit choice was branded ‘inappropriate’ by some social media users after a snap of her wearing the jacket with a deep neckline, and without a blouse underneath, was shared on the magazine’s Instagram account. 

One suggested the outfit ‘eroded’ her credibility, while another commented: ‘Yeah a real role model. It would have been better in the darkest of clouds. Ridiculous that the breasts of a woman appear in two without a blouse. Someone with taste and sense of style.’ 

But Marin’s outraged fans were quick to show their support and rally behind her, launching the hashtag #imwithsanna and sharing photographs of themselves posed in similar ensembles to the prime minister’s.

Bild described her as ‘relaxed, modern and self-confident’ but it added that she ‘can also party’.

In 2015 Ms Marin told the Menaiset website that as a child she felt ‘invisible’ because she was unable to talk openly about her unconventional family.

Marin got married to Markus in August 2020 and posted a photo on Instagram of the pair on their wedding day

Ms Marin appears to have a sweet tooth, having shared fun photos of her tucking into ice cream and candy floss 

Former transport minister and MP Sanna Marin is the country’s third female government leader

‘The silence was the hardest,’ she said. ‘Invisibility caused a feeling of incompetence. We were not recognised as a true family or equal with others. But I wasn’t much bullied. Even when I was little, I was very candid and stubborn. I wouldn’t have taken anything easy.’

She also admitted that she never expected to get into politics, telling the publication: ‘When I was in high school, I felt that the people who make politics are quite different and come from different backgrounds than I am. At that time, I didn’t think it was possible to get involved myself.’

Ms Marin, who spent her teenage years working in a bakery, added that her mother has always been very supportive and made her believe she could do anything she wanted.

She also knows how to rock a ballgown and is often pictured on the red carpet at events with Markus.

Just two months ago Marin headed up the Pride parade in Helsinki – a cause important to her after being raised by two mothers.

The mother-of-one wore a white dress with pink embroidery in an Aztec-style as she waved rainbow flags and walked through the streets of Helsinki.

However, while she certainly knows how to party, Marin used her Instagram account to set a good example during the Covid pandemic, posting photos of herself meeting friends outside while socially distanced.

She also posts about honest aspects of motherhood, sharing a photo of herself breastfeeding Emma when she was a baby.

When she is not working or out with friends, Marin has motherly duties to attend to with her daughter Emma

The mother-of-one uses her Instagram account to post photos which show an honest account of motherhood, including feeding time

Ms Marin was born in Helsinki and lived in Espoo and Pirkkala, before moving to Tampere, where she became the first person in her family to go to university. Pictured on a holiday to Italy in July 2017

In May this year, Marin visited Kyiv where she met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy while Ukraine was under attack from Russia.

She posted a photo of herself alongside the Ukrainian President on Instagram and wrote: ‘Finland and the wide international community condemn Russia’s offensive war against Ukraine, which blatantly violates the UN Constitution, international law and the jointly agreed basic principles of European security. 

‘We must extend support for Ukraine, while we continue to extend sanctions against Russia.’

Marin rose to the top job after she was elected as the new leader of Finland’s centre-left Social Democratic party.

Previously assuming the role of the transport minister Helsinki-born Marin narrowly beat rival Antti Lindtman to take over the role from incumbent Antti Rinne.

The mother-of-one was first elected to the City Council of Tampere in 2012 and became its chairperson in 2013 – a role she held until 2017, when she was re-elected.

In 2014 she was elected second deputy chairperson of the Social Democratic Party and in 2015 she was voted into the Parliament of Finland from the electoral district of Pirkanmaa.

During her rise to success in the political field she charted her pregnancy journey on her Instagram page, sharing selfies of her baby bump and even a candid breastfeeding shot.

She’s also shared poolside shots from a romantic holiday to Italy in July 2017, during which she and Markus travelled to Portofino, Rome, Sardinia and Veneto, and snaps from Pride events, where she showed her support for same-sex unions.

And Marin appears to have a sweet tooth, having shared fun photos of her tucking into ice cream and candy floss.

After the video of Marin’s latest party antics surfaced, an MP from the Centre Party, Marin’s coalition partner, took to Twitter urging the mother-of-one to take a drugs test.

Marin, 36, responded to the request in a press conference on Thursday morning and explained her night out had taken place at two bars before the group of around 20 friends headed to someone’s apartment. 

She also agreed to take a test because she had ‘nothing to hide’.

She told reporters: ‘I haven’t used any drugs, so it’s not a problem to take a drug test, but I also think it’s quite special that something like this is required.’