Finnish government appoints new representatives for Sámi Parliament following summer elections

On Thursday, the Finnish government appointed new representatives for the Sámi Parliament following the recent elections held this summer. The Sámi Parliament can now begin preparations for its organizational meeting. Chairperson Pirita Näkkäläjärvi anticipates that the new Sámi Parliament will convene at the end of September. The current council must first meet to set the agenda for the organizational meeting, after which the new members will gather.

The meeting will be called to order by the longest-serving member of the Sámi Parliament, Anne Nuorgam, who will also chair the meeting until a new chairperson is elected from among the members. During the previous plenary session in June, the Sámi Parliament amended its rules regarding who may convene meetings. Previously, the oldest member was tasked with this role.

At the organizational meeting, the Sámi Parliament will elect a new leadership team, a board, chairpersons and members for various committees, as well as representatives for different positions.

The recent elections were prompted by a ruling from the Supreme Administrative Court (KHO), which mandated new elections due to the exclusion of 65 individuals from the electoral register who should have been included under prior rulings. The electoral board omitted 86 individuals from last year’s list, who had previously been granted voting rights by the KHO against the stance of the Sámi Parliament. The electoral board justified its decision by referencing resolutions from UN human rights bodies, stating that KHO’s rulings violated the self-determination rights of the Sámi people. Members of the Sámi Parliament’s council have lodged a complaint regarding the KHO’s decision with the UN Human Rights Committee.