Anni Koivisto resigns from Sámi Parliament seat

Anni Koivisto, a member of the Sámi Parliament from Inari, is giving up her seat and other elected positions because her new job as the Parliament’s special expert on early childhood education creates a conflict of interest, Yle reported.

Koivisto’s work includes preparing early childhood education matters, including drafting documents. She said she could not carry out that work while also holding a decision-making role in the Sámi Parliament.

“Being a member of the Sámi Parliament and representing my people has been an honour. In my new job, I can promote children’s rights specifically, and I want to do my work as well as possible,” Koivisto said.

Koivisto submitted her resignation on Monday. It will not take effect until the matter has been considered by the Finnish Government, a process that may take more than a month.

Riihitammela set to replace Koivisto

According to Kalle Varis, the Sámi Parliament’s legal special adviser, Paavo Riihitammela will replace Koivisto when she leaves her elected positions.

The Sámi Parliament and the Ministry of Justice had not commented on the identity of the new representative by Tuesday.

Varis said the selection process should be clear because the law sets out how a replacement is chosen. Municipal quotas will not affect the result because the number of representatives elected from Inari is already sufficient.

When a representative from Inari resigns, the replacement is the unelected candidate who received the most votes, regardless of whether that person was an alternate member or did not receive a seat, Varis said. Based on the vote totals, that candidate is Riihitammela.

Marjaana Aikio is Inari’s alternate member, but she will not take the seat because she received fewer votes than the eligible unelected candidates. Varis said none of the alternate members would be appointed in this case for the same reason.

Riihitammela ready to take office

Riihitammela, who is from Kirkkonummi, was added to the electoral roll by order of Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court. He was among the people the Sámi Parliament’s election committee excluded from the 2023 electoral roll.

Following the election committee’s decision, the Supreme Administrative Court ordered new elections in 2024. Riihitammela stood as a candidate and received 67 votes.

He said he was ready to begin serving as a representative, although the news came as a surprise.

“This raises big questions for me. I have always firmly believed that the Sámi need an organisation representing their interests, and I want to help build cooperation across the entire Indigenous people,” Riihitammela said.