The Estonian government has been forced to apologise after one of its ministers labelled Finland's newly elected prime minister, the world's youngest serving leader, a "sales girl" and questioned her ability to run the country.
Interior minister Mart Helme, 70, took aim at Prime Minister Sanna Marin, 34, and her government on Sunday during a radio talk show. Ms Marin worked in a bakery and as a sales assistant before becoming Prime Minister.
“Now we see how one sales girl has become a prime minister and how some other street activists and non-educated people have also joined the cabinet,” Mr Helme, a former ambassador to Russia, said.
, all five of the coalition's leaders are women, four of which are under 35.
This includes , 32, Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo, 34, Minister of Education Li Andersson, 32, and Minister of Justice Anna-Maja Henriksson, 55.
Mr Helme is the leader of far-right party Ekre, which formed a coalition government with Prime Minister Juri Ratas' Centre Party following Estonia's April election.
The comments prompted calls for Mr Helme's resignation and Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid requested that Finland's President Sauli Niinisto pass on her apologies to Ms Marin and her government.
Estonian opposition leader Kaja Kallas also apologised to Ms Marin on Twitter on Monday evening, describing Mr Helme's comments as "embarrassing".
"Helme seems to think we have too many friends. This is Estonia in 2019," she wrote in Estonian.
On Monday, Ms Marin said she was proud of Finland, where "a child from a poor family can get educated and reach many things in their lives".
"The cashier of a shop can become a prime minister," she wrote on Twitter in Finnish.
With Reuters
