Finnish Musician Denies ‘Inappropriate’ Relations With Prime Minister Sanna Marin
The musician, 28, says he and the married Finnish leader are just friends, despite some “speculation” to the contrary.
Photo Illustration by Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty and Olavi Uusivirta/Instagram
The Finnish musician captured on camera dancing up close with Finland’s married Prime Minister Sanna Marin has spoken out publicly to deny having an affair with the leader.
Olavi Uusivirta made the announcement on Instagram on Friday, saying the two are just friends and writing in Finnish that “nothing inappropriate has happened.” The Fin, 28, said he wouldn’t comment on the matter any further.
“There has been speculation in the public about the quality of the relationship between me and Prime Minister Sanna Marin,” Uusivirta wrote. “Hand on heart I can just say it like it is: we are friends and nothing inappropriate has happened.”
A video of the duo surfaced online Friday, which showed Marin, 36, dancing closely to Uusivirta as she beamed with music bumping in the background. At one point, Uusivirta appeared to whisper something to the leader or, as some in Finnish media have suggested, kiss her.
The clip, which clearly shows Marin with Uusivirta despite being secretly recorded in a dark nightclub, was just over a minute long. It’s the latest video to emerge in recent weeks that’s shown Marin enjoying Helsinki nightlife along with celebrities in the Nordic nation.
A new video of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s “party scandal” appeared in Finland today.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 19, 2022
Seiska writes that Marin, who is married and has been in that relationship for 18 years, was seen in many questionable situations.
Iltalehti has a sound expert confirming “flour-gang”. pic.twitter.com/Nj5A71R8Rd
These videos led a section of Marin’s constituents to pressure the leader, now occasionally dubbed the “Party PM,” into taking a drug test on Friday. The leader said she did it as an act of good faith to her detractors.
“I did nothing illegal,” Marin said in Finnish, the BBC reported. “Even in my teenage years I have not used any kind of drugs.”
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
In support of Marin, hundreds of Finnish women began posting videos of themselves dancing and partying to social media using the hashtag #solidaritywithsanna.
While Marin has shot down claims she was using drugs at the nightclub, she has not made a public statement about her relationship with Uusivirta—who posted a picture of himself with Marin to Instagram last week but deleted it Saturday.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.