Swedish Assembly of Finland

(Redirected from Svenska Finlands Folkting) "Folkting" redirects here. For the parliament of Denmark, see Folketing.

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The Swedish Assembly of Finland (Swedish: Svenska Finlands folkting, Finnish: Suomenruotsalaiset kansankäräjät, although often referred to as Folktinget even in Finnish) is an official consultative parliament representing the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland.

Folktinget was originally founded in 1919 but dissolved the following year. It was re-established in 1941 when the relocation of Karelian evacuees threatened to shift the balance between Finnish and Swedish speakers in Swedish-speaking municipalities, and has functioned continuously since its re-establishment. Since 2003, its operations have been governed by law.

Elections

Elections are held every four years, and candidates are nominated by the political parties which are either bilingual or Swedish-speaking. The assembly has 75 seats, where 70 are filled on the basis of municipal election results, and five are appointed by the Parliament of Åland (Swedish: Lagtinget).

Purpose

The assembly is a forum for political discussion on issues concerning Swedish speakers, and it also functions as an interest group for the Swedish-speaking population. It also engages in research on demographic issues and publishes information to the public about the situation of the Swedish-speaking Finns.

Leadership

Astrid Thors was chairperson of the Swedish Assembly of Finland from 2005 to 2007. She was succeeded by Ulla-Maj Wideroos in 2007, by Anna-Maja Henriksson in 2009, by Christina Gestrin in 2011, by Thomas Blomqvist in 2015 and by Sandra Bergqvist in 2019.

References

^ Axelsen, Torben (2020-06-16). "Folktinget". Lex – Danmarks Nationalleksikon (in Danish). Retrieved 2024-11-02.
"Svenska Finlands folkting". Uppslagsverket Finland. Retrieved 2024-11-02.

External links

Official website (in both Swedish and Finnish)
Swedish in Finland: a brochure in English and French by (and in part about) the Assembly

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