The Sámi Parliament is the Sámi’s highest elected body and must carry the Sámi’s voice as an indigenous people in Norway. Over the years, the Sámi Parliament has gained increasing influence and has gradually become a significant power factor regionally and nationally. Therefore, it is of public interest who can be elected, and who through elections can influence the Sami Parliament’s policy. Center Party politician Sandra Borch has embraced and highlighted her Sami ancestry in public. As a profiled person in Norway, she also paves the way for others. Her path crosses a landscape characterized by deep wounds and wide chasms created by the Norwegian authorities’ Norwegianization policy. She deserves all the credit for that. In recent years, news has investigated several aspects of the Sami Parliament’s number of electors, and published several cases about this. Now we have put the spotlight on whether Borch meets the criteria to be in the Sami Parliament’s electoral roll. The digging group for news Nord and news Sápmi has so far not found it likely that she does. It is important to clarify here that the number of voters is not a register that determines whether you are Sami or not. You can be Sami without standing there. The number of voters, on the other hand, is a list of people who meet the criteria to vote in the Sami parliamentary election and to stand as a candidate for a seat in the Sami parliament. The latter was exactly what Sandra Borch did in 2013, in 2017 and 2021. She joined the electoral roll, and has stood for election three times as a candidate on the Center Party’s list, without being elected. The number of registered voters has increased sharply in recent years, in parallel with the Sámi Parliament’s political importance regionally and nationally. Naturally, therefore, the competition for power within the Sámi Parliament has also attracted greater attention. news therefore believes that it is in the public interest to know whether the Sami Parliament actually represents those for whom it was set up. In other words; whether the criteria adopted by the Storting are complied with. Sandra Borch has sought political influence and power throughout her adult life. First through Senterungdommen, municipality and county council boards and then as a parliamentary representative. She has held two ministerial positions, including in the Ministry of Agriculture with responsibility for reindeer husbandry policy. news believes that it is in the public interest to shed light on whether Borch is listed in the Sami Parliament’s electoral roll, and has stood for election, without meeting the statutory criteria. In 2013, a person from her home village submitted a complaint and contested her place in the electoral roll. The complaint was processed and after a short time rejected. Neither the Sámi Parliament nor Sandra Borch will shed light on which information was in question, or how it was assessed. news believes that transparency around this is important for Sami society, but we are denied access to the complaint processing. However, the number of voters is not a secret. It is put out for public inspection in the municipalities every two years. Church registers and censuses, which news has used in its journalism, are also publicly available. We fully understand that the spotlight on individuals’ Sami family history can be uncomfortable. Especially in light of the wounds from the period of Norwegianisation, it is not difficult to understand that this creates reactions. However, that cannot prevent critical journalism. news has a responsibility to shine a spotlight on power structures and how democratic rules of the game are followed. It must also apply to those who seek influence through the Sámi Parliament. Published 06.11.2024, at 17.21
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Transparency about the number of electors is important for Sami democracy – Statement
