20 years ago, then Prime Minister Göran Persson made the decision to build a parliament building for the Sami Parliament where Kiruna was a hot alternative for a long time.
But because of the city relocation, however, the intended plot became inappropriate and in 2019 Östersund instead won a vote in the Sami Parliament with a scarce majority over the challengers Kiruna and Vilhelmina.
In 2022, the Sami Parliament submitted an application to the government for financing. But on the part of the government, the answer has been absent.
“Completely unacceptable”
The Sami Parliament, Östersund Municipality and Mid Sweden University have now taken hold of the matter in their own hands and had meetings to start discussing strategies for how it should work to put pressure on the government.
– I think it is about time that we get an answer and I also expect that we will get funds to pre -prospect the parliament building, says Håkan Jonsson.
One of Östersund Municipal Council Effie Korulos (C) agrees.
– We think it is completely unacceptable to let this issue be unanswered year after year, and now we see that we will have to put more pressure on the government in order for them to come up with a message, she says.
Jonsson worried about security
A separate parliament building is also important for the Sami Parliament in terms of security. Today you move around plenary in different places in Sweden and after the incident in Örebro where ten people are shot dead, the Sami Parliament’s Chairman Håkan Jonsson is worried.
– Today we have plenary in hotels around Sweden without any safety nets what happened in Örebro could very well happen during a Sami Plenum as well. So having a parliament where we can make a design so that we can have visitors, but also that we have it safely. It is also an important reason that we have a parliament building in the future, he says.