2008-12-01/Norway’s Sami parliament joins fight for Sami parliament in Russia
By Michael de Laine, Copenhagen, 1st December 2008
Sametinget, the Sami (Lapp) parliament in Norway. is to support the Russian Samis’ fight for their own parliament in Russia’s Kola peninsular, says Sametinget’s deputy speaker, Marianne Balto.
Her statement came after representatives of Sami organisations in Russia visited the Norwegian Sami parliament in Karasjok last week to learn more about the Norwegian structure.
The Russian Sami presented a number of proposals in their discussions with their Norwegian counterparts, but Balto is not sure whether Russia is ready for a Sami parliament in the Kola peninsular.
Balto explained to Norwegian national broadcaster NRK that official support for a legislative body “would be a clear commitment from the state. It would also need a change in the law. It is uncertain whether the time is ripe for this step in Russia,” she said.
Norway’s Sami parliament is elected by the Sami people every four years in conjunction with the general election for the fixed-period Norwegian parliament. The first election was held in 1989.