You will meet the name on reindeer ear-mark registers, Sámi place names and news about mines in the north. Here is what the Sámi Parliament in Sweden is, what it controls and what it doesn’t, who gets to vote, and what changed in 2025 and 2026.
When you need this
You saw “Sametinget” on a sign or a map credit while travelling in Lapland or Jämtland. You read that the 2025 Sámi Parliament election had to be held twice. You have Sámi family and wonder whether you can vote, even with a foreign passport. Or a news story says a wind farm must “consult Sametinget” and you want to know what that means in practice.
A parliament that is also an agency
Sametinget (the Sámi Parliament in Sweden) has a double identity. It is a parliament elected by Sámi voters and, at the same time, a state agency under the government whose main task is to look after questions of Sámi culture in Sweden. Sametinget calls the construction unique: the elected members are meant to pursue the Sámi policy voters chose, while the agency must carry out what the Riksdag and government have decided. It compares the arrangement to a Swedish municipality, where elected members steer and officials run the daily work (see how Sweden is governed).
The law that created it took effect on 1 January 1993, and the first election was set for 16 May 1993. The headquarters are in Kiruna, Giron in North Sámi (see the Kiruna guide).
| Level | Who | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Voters | Sámi on the electoral roll (9,755 in 2025) | Elect 31 members every four years |
| Plenum | The 31 elected members | Sets policy, meets three times a year |
| Board | At most seven members chosen by plenum | Legally responsible for the agency |
| Head of office and staff | Hired by the board | Run the agency day to day |
| Chair (talman) | Appointed by the government on Sametinget’s proposal | Leads plenum sessions |
After the re-run election of 5 October 2025, Jakt- och Fiskesamerna holds the most seats, 12 of 31. A board of five other parties led by Marianne Gråik of Samelandspartiet took over in December 2025. Turnout has ranged from 72% in 1993 to 54% in 2013, and it was 59% at the 2025 re-run.
What Sametinget actually does
The Sámi are Sweden’s recognised Indigenous people, and the constitution says their opportunities to keep and develop their own cultural and community life shall be promoted. Sametinget is the main body that turns that promise into daily work. Its tasks are set by law and by a government instruction:
- Culture money: it distributes state grants and the Samefonden (Sámi Fund) to Sámi culture and organisations.
- Language: it sets goals for and leads Sámi language work, runs the Sámi language centres, gives opinions when Sámi place names are set and reviews Sámi names on public maps.
- Reindeer herding: it is the administrative agency for reindeer husbandry. It maintains the border reindeer fences, reports land that is especially valuable or sensitive for herding, is responsible for reindeer-use plans and keeps the ear-mark register that shows who owns each reindeer. Herding covers about half of Sweden’s area, shared by 51 samebyar, Sámi reindeer-herding communities (see reindeer herding land and reindeer in Sweden).
- Schools: it appoints the board of Sameskolstyrelsen, the Sámi School Board.
- Planning: it takes part in community planning and watches that Sámi needs, including herding, are considered when land and water are used.
- Consultation: since 1 March 2022, the government and state agencies must consult Sámi representatives before decisions of particular importance to the Sámi, and Sametinget always speaks for the Sámi people. Regions and municipalities are covered too.
One change is new this year. From 1 July 2026, Sametinget is also the administrative agency for minority policy concerning the Sámi and Sámi languages. It coordinates and follows up public bodies’ work in cooperation with MUCF, the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society. For the language rights themselves, see Sweden’s minority languages.
Who votes, and how
Sametinget’s election board keeps the sameröstlängd, the Sámi electoral roll. It is the only formal list of Sámi in a country with no ethnic register, and it exists for voting only. Herding is not a condition.
| Requirement | What the law says |
|---|---|
| Identity | You consider yourself Sámi |
| Language link | You make it plausible that you, a parent or a grandparent have or had Sámi as a home language, or a parent is on the roll |
| Age | 18 by election day |
| Citizenship | Swedish citizen, or a foreign citizen registered as living in Sweden (folkbokförd) for three years in a row before election day |
| Registration | Your application reaches the election board by 20 October of the year before the election |
What this means for different readers:
- Tourists cannot register or vote.
- Sámi with a foreign passport living in Sweden, including EU citizens and Sámi from Norway or Finland, qualify only after three years of population registration. There is no separate EU rule. Why a personnummer matters here is explained in the personnummer guide.
- Swedish-citizen Sámi living abroad can register; 233 did so for 2025.
You can register with BankID through a digital form, or order a paper form by e-mail or phone and post it to Sametinget in Kiruna. Once you are on the roll, you stay on it. On election day polling stations are open 08:00–20:00, or you can vote by post with two witnesses aged 18 or over. The whole country is one constituency, and seats are shared out proportionally with a first divisor of 1.2. Three bodies run the election: Sametinget’s election board, Valmyndigheten (the Election Authority) and Länsstyrelsen i Norrbotten, which counts the votes.
Warning: Election material goes to your address in the population register. If your address with Skatteverket is out of date, your voting card may not reach you in time.
The 2025 election that ran twice
Many pages still show figures from May 2025. They are not the valid result.
The ordinary election was held on 18 May 2025. On 14 July 2025, Valprövningsnämnden (the election appeals board) annulled it. In 95 cases, voting had not followed the prescribed procedure, including outer envelopes that were not sealed, and the board found this could have affected the outcome. A re-run was held on 5 October 2025, on the same electoral roll.
| Party (re-run, 5 October 2025) | Share of votes | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| Jakt- och Fiskesamerna | 38.52% | 12 |
| Sámiid Riikkabellodat – Samelandspartiet | 24.29% | 7 |
| Guovssonásti | 18.11% | 6 |
| Vuovdega – Skogssamerna | 6.49% | 2 |
| Landspartiet Svenska Samer | 5.78% | 2 |
| Partiet Samerna | 3.66% | 1 |
| Min Geaidnu | 3.14% | 1 |
Of 9,755 people on the roll, 5,760 voted. The next ordinary election is on 20 May 2029, and the registration deadline is 20 October 2028.
Good to know: the valid 2025–2029 result is the 5 October 2025 re-run, not the May election that many older pages still show.
The limits of self-government
It is tempting to call Sametinget a Sámi government. It isn’t one. It cannot pass laws, the government appoints its chair, and its decisions can be appealed only where a specific rule allows it. Sametinget itself says the Sámi parliaments in Sweden, Norway and Finland exist without real decision-making power, and that the Sámi have almost no influence over land, water and natural resources in Sámi areas.
Consultation is a real duty but not a veto. It continues until the two sides agree, or until either side declares that agreement cannot be reached. It also doesn’t cover everything: public order and security, defence, supervision and individual state grants are outside it, and Sametinget’s own decisions are exempt.
The state’s own Truth Commission for the Sámi People reached the same conclusion. Its final report, delivered in September 2026, says the Sámi Parliament’s authority to make decisions remains limited, and that UN and Council of Europe bodies have repeatedly criticised Sweden on Sámi participation and self-determination. Among its calls to the government:
- strengthen Sametinget’s self-determination and resources
- build a permanent parliament building
- develop an official apology together with Sametinget and Sámi civil society
- complete the process of ratifying ILO Convention No. 169 on Indigenous peoples
- write the principle of free, prior and informed consent into Swedish law
The building is an old question. Plenum chose Östersund over Kiruna in February 2019, by 18 votes to 13, but Sametinget’s latest update, from November 2024, says there is still no government decision and no funding.
Visiting and watching
You can’t tour a parliament building, because there isn’t one yet. You can watch the parliament at work, though:
- Plenum sessions are public by law, although plenum may take a particular matter behind closed doors. Board meetings are normally closed.
- Plenum has its own YouTube channel, and session dates are in Sametinget’s calendar.
- Plenum moves around. Past openings were held in Kiruna, Arvidsjaur, Östersund, Jokkmokk and Lycksele.
- Ear marks: you can look up a reindeer’s ear mark in Sametinget’s register or app to see who owns it.
When you write or talk about it, say “Sámi Parliament”, not “Sámi government”. For how to visit Sámi areas respectfully, see the Sámi culture guide, and for the Sámi flag days, Sámi National Day.
Practical information
| Item | What to know | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Registering on the electoral roll | No fee stated by Sametinget; digital form needs BankID, paper form by post | 2026-10-14 |
| Attending a public plenum session | No fee stated; sessions are public by law | 2026-10-14 |
| Voting in the election | No fee in the law; voting material is sent to those on the roll | 2026-10-14 |
| Next election | 20 May 2029; register by 20 October 2028 | 2026-10-14 |
| Headquarters | Kiruna (Giron) | 2026-10-14 |
FAQ
What is Sametinget?
Sametinget is the Sámi Parliament in Sweden. It is both a parliament elected by Sámi voters and a state agency under the government, created in 1993 with headquarters in Kiruna. Its 31 members set Sámi policy, while its staff administer reindeer herding, Sámi language work and grants to Sámi culture. Norway and Finland have their own Sámi parliaments.
Who can vote in the Sámi Parliament election?
Only people on the Sámi electoral roll. You must consider yourself Sámi and show that you, a parent or a grandparent spoke Sámi at home, or have a parent on the roll. You must be 18 by election day and a Swedish citizen, or a foreign citizen registered as living in Sweden for three years in a row.
Can tourists visit or watch Sametinget?
Yes, as observers. Plenum sessions are public by law, and plenum has its own YouTube channel. Plenum meets three times a year, often in different northern towns, and the dates are published in Sametinget’s calendar. Tourists cannot register or vote, but anyone may watch.
Does Sametinget give the Sámi self-government?
Only partly. It decides on Sámi grants, language goals and its own policy, and authorities must consult it on matters of particular importance to the Sámi. But it cannot pass laws, the government appoints its chair, and consultation gives no veto. Sametinget and the 2026 Truth Commission both say its decision-making power is limited.
Why was the 2025 Sámi Parliament election held twice?
The election appeals board annulled the 18 May 2025 election on 14 July 2025. In 95 cases, voting had not followed the prescribed procedure, including outer envelopes that were not sealed, and the board found this could have affected the outcome. A re-run was held on 5 October 2025, with 59 percent turnout.
When is the next Sámi Parliament election?
On 20 May 2029, the third Sunday in May. To vote, your registration must reach Sametinget by 20 October 2028. Registration can be made with BankID through a digital form or on a paper form sent by post to Kiruna. If you are already on the roll, you stay on it.
Related guides
- Sámi culture: a respectful visitor’s guide — how to meet Sámi culture on Sámi terms
- How Sweden is governed — where Sametinget sits beside the Riksdag, regions and municipalities
- Reindeer herding land — the herding right Sametinget administers, and what it means on the trail
- Sweden’s minority languages — Sámi language rights and the administrative area
- How Swedish elections work — the general elections, for comparison
Facts verified 2026-10-14. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Sametingslag 1992:1433, Lag 2022:66, Regeringsformen), Svensk författningssamling (SFS 2026:136, 2026:866), Sametinget, Valmyndigheten, Valprövningsnämnden, the Truth Commission for the Sámi People (SOU 2026:58) and SVT — full register in this topic’s source file. This is general information, not legal advice. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.