Finnish PM defends work record after controversy

HELSINKI: Finland’s prime minister on Wednesday gave a forceful defence of her work record and her right to a private life after criticism sparked by a video of the 36-year-old partying.

"I am human. And I too sometimes long for joy, light and fun amidst these dark clouds," Sanna Marin said as she fought to hold back tears at her Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) event in Lahti city, north of Helsinki.

"It’s private, it’s joy, and it’s life," she said. "But I haven’t missed a single day of work." "I want to believe that people will look at what we do at work rather than what we do in our spare time," she said. A video leaked last week -- which caused headlines around the world -- showed Marin dancing and partying with a group of friends and celebrities.