Internal cleavages and changing party system in indigenous politics – The Sámi Parliament of Norway

Abstract

Indigenous politics is different from “normal” politics. It is about power within the state and against the state in which fragmentation is commonly seen as fragility. Political party competition is therefore extremely rare, and interests’ rep resentation is generally not organized through political parties. In this article, we analyze a unique and deviant case – Norway – where Indigenous system-building develops thorough party politics based on internal cleavages. Using unique survey data on Sami voters ( ´ N = 1134) we show how voters for the Sami parties are divided on the question of S ´ ami self- ´ determination and that this has transformed the party system from a “one-party dominant system” towards a two-party system based on an internal cleavage concerning the degree and type of self-determination. This transformation has been made possible by changes in the electoral system, a substantial increase in the Sami electoral roll and major advancements in ´ Indigenous rights in Norway.