Aili Keskitalo

Aili Keskitalo (born 29 October 1968) is a Norwegian Sami politician representing Norwegian Sámi Association (NSR). In 2005 she became president of the Sami Parliament of Norway, the third in its history and the first female President of any Sámi Parliament.

Due to problems cooperating with the vice president Johan Mikkel Sara she stepped down in September 2007 [ [http://www.nrk.no/kanal/nrk_sami_radio/1.3566043 – Ingen hyggelig dag - NRK Sámi Radio] ] . The collapse of her coalition made way for the first ever non-NSR presidency.

She has a Masters in Public Administration from Copenhagen Business School, in which she compared the school systems in Norway and Greenland [Keskitalo, Aili 2005: "Høyere utdanningsinstitusjoner for urfolk - i en moderniseringstid : en komparativ analyse av endringer i rammebetingelser for Sámi allaskuvla/Samisk høgskole og Ilisimatusarfik ved årtusenskiftet". ('Higher Education Institutions in a Time of Modernisation: a Comparative Analysis of Changes in Requirements for the Sami University College and the University of Greenland at the Turn of the Century' - thesis from her MPA at South Trøndelag University College, North Trøndelag University College and Copenhagen Business School)]

Keskitalo was the first Sámi President whose mother tongue was not Sámi but, Norwegian. However, she speaks Northern Sami fluently.

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