The Parliament of Finland on Thursday approved the amendment to the Sámi Parliament Act.
The amendment was passed 150–27, with 22 members absent, said a press release.
“Today (Thursday) is a historical day for the Sámi people. This long plight is over, and the unrelenting work of the Sámi community is being rewarded,” Pirita Näkkäläjärvi, President of the Sámi Parliament in the press release.
For thirty years, as the official representative of the Sámi in Finland, the Sámi Parliament has demanded the revision of the Sámi Parliament Act ever since its enactment in 1995.
The Sámi Parliament has never accepted the "Lapp criterion" in the section concerning the right to vote. The "Lapp criterion", which is an indicator of livelihoods rather than ethnicity, will now finally be removed from the Act.
“This violation of international human rights conventions, which has prevailed in Finland as noted by the United Nations in 2019 and 2022, will now be rectified. These human rights violations stem from the Supreme Administrative Court interpreting the criteria included in the Sámi Parliament Act determining the right to vote in Sámi Parliament elections in a way that the Sámi Parliament has never accepted. This has resulted in individuals being admitted to the electoral register despite not being recognized by Sámi Parliament bodies as members of the Sámi community,” Näkkäläjärvi added.
Preparations for the amendment to the Sámi Parliament Act lasted over a decade, spanning four government terms.
With the amendment, Finland will acknowledge the Sámi people's right to self-determination in its own internal legislation as well.
One of the ways the fulfilment of this right will be reinforced is by improving the procedures for cooperation and negotiation between the Sámi and government authorities in the spirit of the internationally established FPIC (free, prior and informed consent).
The criteria for voting rights and the eligibility to run as candidates in Sámi Parliament elections will be reformed in such a way that the Sámi people's right to self-determination will be respected, and the internationally noted violations of human rights will be rectified.
A new, independent and well-informed board of appeals will be established to resolve any future potential disagreements.
The Supreme Administrative Court will retain its role in this regard only through a leave-to-appeal mechanism.
- Sámi Parliament
- Act
- Reform
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
