PARTY POLITICS

Finland's prime minister Sanna Marin has come under fire for letting her hair down during tough economic times, but women around the world are showing her their support

- COLIN HENDRICKS

VIRAL videos tend to cause a stir for a few days, then something else sweeps in to get a new topic going. But footage of Finland’s prime minister letting her hair loose on the dance floor is still creating a buzz from Sweden to Stellenbosch and everywhere in between, long after the clip first surfaced.

Finland’s prime minister, Sanna Marin, has been thrust into the spotlight for having fun at a party. Opposition party leaders said the 36-year-old’s decision to have a good time during the country’s economic crisis was unprofessional and irresponsible, and demanded she take a drug test.

Marin took the test, which showed no trace of narcotics in her system – but refused to apologise for having fun. “I have a family life, I have a work life and I have free time to spend with my friends, pretty much the same as many people my age,” she says.

She had just a few drinks and was at her desk the next morning, so there was no reason for outrage, she believes. And she’s certainly not going to change her behaviour. “I am going to be exactly the same person as I have been until now and I hope that it will be accepted,” she says.

Marin – who was recently dubbed the coolest prime minister in the world – sparked a swell of support as women around the globe posted videos of themselves dancing under the hashtag Solidarity with Sanna.

“We should all dance a little more,” one supporter says. “Politicians also have the right to party,” argues another.