The Sámi Parliament of Sweden ( sv, Sametinget, se, Sámediggi, smj, Sámedigge, sma, Saemiedigkie) is the representative body for people of Sámi heritage in
Sweden based in
Kiruna. It acts as an institution of cultural autonomy for the indigenous
Sámi people
The Sámi ( ; also spelled Sami or Saami) are a Finno-Ugric-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi (formerly known as Lapland), which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Murmansk Oblast, Ru ...
.
History
The Sami Parliament Act
Sametingslag (1992:1433) established the Swedish Sami Parliament as of 1 January 1993. By law, the first official elections were held on 16 May 1993. Its first session was opened by the King of Sweden,
Carl XVI Gustaf, on 26 August 1993 in Kiruna. It has 31 representatives, who are elected every four years by general vote. The current chairperson of the Sámi Parliament is
Paulus Kuoljak, since 2017. The chairperson is formally assigned by the
Swedish Government upon the proposal of the Sami Parliament.
The
2021 Sámediggi Election was held on 16 May 2021, with 9220 people registered as voters, mostly living in Norrbotten or Västerbotten.
Responsibilities
Sweden has taken this active part for two reasons:
* to recognise the Sámi minority as an
indigenous people
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
to distinguish it from other minorities;
* to raise the Sámi
minority influence
Minority influence, a form of social influence, takes place when a member of a minority group influences the majority to accept the minority's beliefs or behavior. This occurs when a small group or an individual acts as an agent of social change by ...
which comes into conflict with the European
majority democracy system, i.e., the group with the most votes wins.
Voting system
Sámi Parliament is democratically elected and acts as an autonomous authority. Sámi inhabitants have a vote, in addition to the regular elections in Sweden, to elect representatives to the Sámi Parliament if:
* they identify as culturally or ethnically Sámi, and either
** they speak
a Sámi language, or
** they have had or have a parent, or grandparent, that speaks or spoke a Sámi language
See also
*
List of Chairpersons of the Sami Parliament of Sweden
*
Sámi politics
*
Sámi Parliament of Finland
The Sámi Parliament of Finland ( fi, Saamelaiskäräjät, se, Sámediggi, smn, Sämitigge, sms, Sääʹmteʹǧǧ) is the representative body for people of Sámi heritage in Finland. The parliament consists of 21 elected members and 4 elected de ...
*
Sámi Parliament of Norway
sje, Sámedigge sju, Sámiediggie sma, Saemiedigkie sms, Sääʹmteʹǧǧ no, Sametinget
, legislature = 9th Sámi Parliament
, coa_pic = Nordsamisk_farge_symmetrisk_stor-01.svg
, house_type = Unicameral
, foundation ...
*
Sámi Parliament of Russia
The Sámi ( ; also spelled Sami or Saami) are a Finno-Ugric-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi (formerly known as Lapland), which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Murmansk Oblast, Rus ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Sami Parliament of Sweden
Politics of Sweden
Sámi in Sweden
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
1993 establishments in Sweden
Kiruna