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Elected political body for the Sami people in Sweden From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sámi Parliament of Sweden (Swedish: Sametinget, Northern Sami: Sámediggi, Lule Sami: Sámedigge, Southern Sami: 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.
Sámi Parliament in Sweden | |
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Type | |
Type | |
History | |
Founded | 1 January 1993 |
Preceded by | Swedish Sámi Council |
Leadership | |
Speaker | Daniel Holst, Hunting and Fishing Sámi since 2021 |
Structure | |
Seats | 31[1] |
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Political groups |
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Elections | |
Last election | 2021 |
Next election | 2025 |
Meeting place | |
Sámi Parliament of Sweden Building Kiruna, Sweden | |
Website | |
www |
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 9,220 people registered as voters, mostly living in Norrbotten or Västerbotten.[2][3][4]
Sweden has taken this active part for two reasons:
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:[citation needed]