Rinne returns to Parliament, leaving Sámi group without secretary-general

Antti Rinne returned to Finland’s Parliament on Thursday, leaving vacant the secretary-general post in a parliamentary working group reviewing recommendations from the Sámi Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Yle reported.

No successor has been chosen. Harri Martikainen, head of the strategic department at the Prime Minister’s Office, said the work was still expected to finish on schedule. He said a short delay would not affect progress, and that meetings and consultations required under the Sámi Parliament Act could continue as planned.

The Sámi Parliament’s chair, Pirita Näkkäläjärvi, thanked Rinne for his work and wished him well in Parliament. She said the Sámi Parliament hoped the review of the commission’s recommendations would continue without disruption, noting that the timetable for the next stage was very tight and the work was important to Sámi people.

Veikko Feodoroff, a representative of the Skolt Sámi, said Rinne’s departure meant a new secretary-general would have to join work already under way. The successor would need to get up to speed on what had been done and agreed, as well as the commission’s final report and investigations. Feodoroff said he hoped the new secretary-general would be Sámi and bring knowledge of Sámi culture.

The parliamentary working group’s term ends in mid-March 2027. Its report will assess what measures the state should take in response to the commission’s recommendations. Feodoroff said the group had worked through the recommendations but had yet to set out clear proposals for concrete improvements or the resources needed to carry them out.