For two periods, the Green Party has been represented in the local council in Longyearbyen. But now it is coming to an end due to new election rules for Svalbard. In practice, the rules mean that foreign nationals are no longer allowed to participate in local politics. Now it is the hook on the door for the MDGs. – Unfortunately, we have to close down. We are a party with many foreign members, and now we cannot fill the list, says MDG’s representative in the current period, Olivia Ericson. Svalbardians on her neck For more than 10 years, the woman from Sweden has lived and worked on Svalbard. In 2019, she got involved in politics, and was elected to the local council. Longyearbyen as a green showcase is the issue that has engaged Ericson the most. But that will be it with the one period. Local board meeting in Longyearbyen on 13 December 2022. The local board consists of 15 members. In the current period, the local board consists of representatives from Labor, Conservative Party, Frp, Liberal Party and MDG. Photo: Rune Nordgård Andreassen / news In 2021, the Ministry of Justice proposed a tightening of the rules for who can participate in local politics on Svalbard. The proposal meant that foreigners who want to vote in the local elections and run as a representative for the local council must first have lived in a mainland municipality for three years. Few of the foreign citizens in Longyearbyen have done that. 700 lost the right to vote Figures from Statistics Norway show that the proportion of foreigners in Longyearbyen has increased steadily over several years, and has now passed 35 per cent. According to the government, the rule change is therefore necessary to maintain Longyearbyen as a Norwegian community. That Norwegian presence is important for Norwegian sovereignty has been a mantra for many a Svalbard minister over the years. This summer, the proposal for changes was adopted by the government, and with the stroke of a pen, 700 people were deprived of the right to vote, including Olivia Ericson. – It was a shock. Suddenly you feel like a second-class citizen, she says to news. According to the Swede, a local democracy should have as many votes as possible. The fact that more are foreigners is not a problem anyway, since most things in Svalbard are decided by the state authorities in Oslo, she believes. – Why should a foreign citizen with no connection to the Norwegian mainland have the right to vote here? – If you want a family society, you have to be inclusive. Letting everyone have their say will always be positive. In addition, it comes with the Svalbard Treaty. I am allowed to be here. Must have seven candidates Throughout the autumn, MDG scoured the member lists in search of alternative, Norwegian candidates, but without success. In order to submit a list to the local board, at least seven names are required. At the 2019 election, MDG had three candidates with foreign citizenship. – MDG appeals to foreigners. In France and Germany, the Greens are established popular parties. Many of our members are from Europe, and belong to the green movement, says MDG leader in Svalbard, Espen Rotevatn. Olivia Ericson and Espen Rotevatn in Svalbard MDG. Photo: Rune Nordgård Andreassen / news Rotevatn believes that removing people’s right to vote is out of the question. – It is argued that people must be familiar with Svalbard, and therefore foreigners must first live on the mainland for three years. But it is when you live on Svalbard that you gain knowledge about Svalbard. This applies whether you are Norwegian, Swedish or German. – Have you done enough to find candidates? – I guess you never do enough. But when established parties such as the Conservative Party and the Labor Party struggle to get people to stand, then naturally a small party such as MDG also struggles. The Progress Party also quits The Progress Party is also likely to throw in the towel even before the election campaign is under way. This is confirmed by the leader of the Svalbard Progress Party, Arnt Vegar Jensen. – Recruitment has been difficult. The new election rules are a contributing factor, he admits. One of the party’s deputy members in the local council has Russian citizenship, and is therefore not eligible for election in 2023. In addition, several of the other candidates will have moved to the mainland when the next term comes. Leader of the Svalbard Frp, Arnt Vegar Jensen (left), together with two party colleagues. Photo: private – I understand the intentions of the new electoral rules, but I am unsure what is achieved by depriving people of the right to vote, says Jensen. news has previously written about politicians in both the Conservative Party, the Labor Party and the Liberal Party who are giving up in local politics on Svalbard in protest against new election rules. However, all three parties expect to present a list in the local elections next autumn. In addition, the newly started Svalbard SV is also working to collect enough candidates. Fears of parallel societies At the beginning of December, a new exhibition opened at the Svalbard Museum. Theme: local democracy in Svalbard over 20 years. During the opening, several of those who have lost the right to vote carried out a point demonstration, by putting tape over their mouths. The voiceless have also gathered in a separate facebook group, called “Spitsbergen Association of Unwanted Foreigners”. The group has almost 400 members. Demonstration against the loss of voting rights in connection with the opening of an exhibition on local democracy. Photo: private Local board leader Arild Olsen (Ap) understands the frustration, and believes Norway’s curtailment of local democracy is frightening. – There will be a clear distinction between us and them. Now we risk having parallel societies that “manage themselves”, where, for example, you have no insight into working and salary conditions, says Olsen. Defends new rules The Ministry of Justice does not want to be interviewed about the new election rules in Svalbard. But in an e-mail to news, State Secretary John-Erik Vika (Sp) defends the rule changes. He points out that the composition of the population on Svalbard has changed, and that there is now a large proportion of foreign nationals in Longyearbyen who have moved there directly from abroad. – The government has considered the matter thoroughly, and has weighed the desire for broad local political participation against the need to ensure a good implementation of the Svalbard policy. That need is best met through a requirement for connection to the mainland, and must therefore weigh the most, writes Vika. Fears of new restrictions State authorities have taken several measures in recent years that affect the population of Longyearbyen. Among other things, stricter requirements have been introduced for who is entitled to special education in primary school. New environmental rules are also being worked on, which will lead to a tightening of traffic. According to Olivia Ericson, Longyearbyen is returning to the old days, to the so-called “company town”, where the state decides absolutely everything. Now she fears that foreigners will also lose the right to nursery places, and that foreign nationals will no longer be allowed to own cottages. – It is becoming increasingly difficult to defend why I live in a local community where there is a difference between what my Norwegian husband is entitled to, and what I as a Swede am entitled to, says Ericson, who on Friday is going to the MDG’s annual Christmas table in Longyearbyen . Then grave beer will also be served.
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Have to shut down the local party due to new election rules in Svalbard – news Troms and Finnmark
