The Sami Parliament election held in May has been declared invalid due to unsealed ballot envelopes in Arjeplog. The Election Review Board has called for a re-election, citing significant procedural errors. Concerns have been raised about the cost and potential decrease in voter turnout.
Re-Election Ordered After Irregularities in Sami Parliament Vote
Re-Election Ordered After Irregularities in Sami Parliament Vote
The Sami Parliament election from May this year has been declared invalid following several appeals regarding ballot envelopes that were not sealed in Arjeplog. The Election Review Board has now decided that a re-election will be held.
The decision, first reported by Sameradion, stems from eleven appeals received after the Sami Parliament election.
"Most of the appeals were based on the fact that 93 outer envelopes were not sealed by the election officials, which is a requirement according to the Sami Parliament election rules," says Cecilia Persson, chief presenter at the Election Review Board, to TT.
Of these votes, all from the polling station in Arjeplog, 88 were declared invalid. The Election Review Board then assessed whether the errors affected the election results. The decision was made based on various probability assessments regarding its impact on the distribution of mandates or which candidate or member was appointed.
"The Election Review Board has concluded that the errors are so serious that it believes a re-election should occur. This annuls the result established by the county administrative board, and the entire election must be redone," says Cecilia Persson.
"No Evidence"
How could this happen?
"It is not clear from the investigation we have in this case. One can only speculate," says Persson.
Is there any suspicion that this might have been done deliberately?
"There is no such evidence. There is nothing in the investigation to suggest it. No one has claimed or alleged it," says Persson.
Lars-Jonas Johansson, a member of the Sami Parliament's board from the Hunting and Fishing Sami party, thinks it is unfortunate that the election needs to be completely redone. He argues that a new election is a significant cost for the Sami Parliament.
"It would have been better if it had only been redone for those who voted in Arjeplog," says Johansson.
He also believes that a re-election poses a risk of reduced voter turnout.
"It's tricky to get people to the polls, so there's a risk that voter turnout will drop. Then you don't get the same legitimacy in the result either," says Johansson.
"A Couple of Months"
The Election Authority will now decide on a date for the re-election.
"One must consider what is appropriate given that ballots need to be printed, venues rented, and election officials trained. It usually takes a couple of months," says Cecilia Persson.
In this year's election on May 18, 5,939 people voted, resulting in a voter turnout of 60.9 percent. The Hunting and Fishing Sami party became the largest party, securing twelve mandates, followed by the Sameland Party with seven mandates and Guovssonásti with six mandates.