Estonia's interior minister has come under pressure to resign after he called Finland's new socialist prime minister for a young 'sales assistant'.

The Estonian minister of the interior, Mart Helme, said that Finland's new government is trying to run the country into the ground. The statements have sparked outrage among opposition politicians in the baltic state, where the president has apologized to Finland.

Finland's new prime minister, Sanna Marin, is with its 34 years the world's youngest head of government.

The Estonian president, Kersti Kaljulaid, says she is "embarrassed" over the comments from the 70-year-old interior minister, as head of the højrenationale party Ekre.

'Now we see a girl who is a sales assistant, will take over the post as prime minister, and how some other gadeaktiviser and not educated persons also have come with in the government,' says Helmes disputed opinion in a radioudtalelse.

Marin has told of her upbringing in a regnbuefamilie, where she worked as a sales assistant before she went to university and began his political career.

She leads a centre-left coalition with four other parties, which are all headed by women. She replies Helems opinions in a tweet:

'I am extremely proud of Finland. Here, a child from a poor family get an education and achieve many things in life. A sales assistant can be prime minister.'

Marin has a husband and is the mother of a child of two.

Helme has said that his statements have been misunderstood, but he has apologized to the Marine.

/ritzau/AFP