Nordkalottfolkets gjennombrudd ved sametingsvalget i 2021: En ny type utfordrerparti vokser fram

Abstract

The most significant change resulting from the 2021 Sámi parliamentary election was the increase, from 6.6 percent to 18.3 percent, in votes for the political party, People of the North Party (NKF). Since the election in 2021, the NKF has become a counterforce to the dominant Sámi political thinking. The party is against strong boundary building between the Sámi, Kvens and Norwegians in the north. It stands in a historical political tradition that originally lost legitimacy with the rise of the Sámi Parliament. The party rejects the modern globalized and rights-based Indigenous politics that modern Sámi politics is built on. In this article, we describe how the party has grown and gained support in different geographical constituencies. Through data from the Sámi parliamentary election survey of 2021, we analyze how NKF voters differ from other voters in terms of views on Sámi self-determination as an important dividing line, in the understanding of the role of the Sámi core areas, and when it comes to socio-demographic characteristics. Finally, we discuss how the growth of the party can be understood through historical characteristics of Sámi politics, cleavage theory and theories about challenger parties.