The linguistic and cultural self-government in their homeland is guaranteed through the Constitution for the Sámi as an indigenous people. Self-government has been planned and implemented by the Sámi Parliament since 1996 (Act 974/1995, amended 1279/2002). The Sámi Parliament is the Sámi people’s own democratic representative body, the purpose of which is to promote the Sámi language and culture, and the issues concerning the position of the Sámi as an indigenous people.

The elections of the Sámi Parliament are conducted every four years. The next elections of the Sámi Parliament will be conducted in 2011. The Election Committee implements the elections according to the fourth chapter in the Act of the Sámi Parliament (974/95, amended 1279/02) and according to the regulation on electoral procedure laid down by the Ministry of Justice.  

All Sámi who are listed in the electoral register of the Sámi Parliament are entitled to vote. Sámi who are entitled to vote are also eligible to stand as candidates in the elections.

Compiling the electoral register and applying for inclusion on it

The Electoral Committee lists the Sámi on the electoral register who were entitled to vote in the elections in 2007.

The people who were registered as children at the time of the previous elections, and who have reached the voting age of 18 years on the last day of the elections at the latest, are listed in the electoral register after they have announced their intention to consider themselves as Sámi. This announcement must be made by the last day of December in the year preceding the electoral year. For this purpose, the people who are nearing voting age receive an application form with a return envelope via mail. The form has to be completed, signed, and returned to the Electoral Committee.

People who have applied in writing to be listed in the electoral register and whom the Electoral Committee considers eligible to vote are also added to the register. A person can apply for inclusion on the electoral register on the grounds of the Sámi Parliament Act (3§, 1st subsection, 1, 2, 3, and 21§). These parts of the Act relate to being a parent to a Sámi, being a descendant of one, or being a foreign citizen who lives in Finland.

The plea for listing in the electoral register must be made to the Election Committee at the latest on 31 December in the year preceding the electoral year.

The Announcement of Suffrage

The Sámi who are listed on the electoral register receive an announcement of suffrage, of the time and place where the electoral register can be viewed, and of other issues concerning the conduct of elections. The announcement is posted in February or March of the electoral year. Notifications of whether or not a person has been added to the electoral register are sent to everyone who has applied for suffrage. This is done before the electoral register is published.

The electoral register can be viewed in the March of the electoral year for ten adjacent workdays, but not on Saturdays. Further details of where and when the electoral register can be viewed are given in a public announcement.

A person who feels that he/she has been unlawfully omitted from the electoral register, or who has an incorrect note of him/herself in the register, can demand, in writing, a clarification from the Electoral Committee within fourteen days after the period for viewing the register has ended. A person who is not satisfied with the decision of the Electoral Committee can make a demand for rectification, which is resolved by the Executive Board of the Sámi Parliament.

Appointing Candidates

A candidate can be appointed by at least three Sámi who are entitled to vote, at the latest on the 31st day before the elections are conducted.  The appointment of a candidate is made with a public announcement. An official Electoral Committee form for appointing a candidate is completed. The Election Committee considers the eligibility of candidates, plans and confirms the electoral register concerning them, and publishes it immediately.

Conduct of Elections

The Sámi Parliament elections are conducted over four weeks, beginning on Monday in the first full week of September in the electoral year. The election documents are mailed to voters at the beginning of September as a recorded delivery and a voter returns the election documents in the same manner, as a recorded delivery, after completing the voting process. The election documents must reach the Electoral Committee by the beginning of vote counting.

Vote counting begins on Monday of the fifth week following the beginning of the elections. The members of the Sámi Parliament will be those 21 people who have gained the most votes, with the requirement that amongst them are at least three members of each municipality in the Sámi homeland (12 in total). In addition, one deputy is chosen from each municipality (4 in total).