Swedish Assembly of Finland

"Folkting" redirects here. For the parliament of Denmark, see Folketing.

Finland

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Finland

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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.

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 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 2005 – 2007. She was succeeded by Ulla-Maj Wideroos in 2007, by Anna-Maja Henriksson in 2009 and by Christina Gestrin in 2011.

See also

• Finland's language strife
• Svecoman
• Swedish People's Party
• Finlands Svenska Television
• Thing (assembly)

External links

• Swedish Assembly of Finland (in both English, Swedish and Finnish)
• Swedish in Finland: a brochure in English and French by (and in part about) the Assembly