– I am not saying this to be politically correct, but because it is very important. The parties should try to actively recruit members with a minority background. That’s what political scientist and associate professor at the University of Stavanger (UiS), Svein Erik Tuastad, says after being presented with the figures for the municipal and county council elections in 2023. Svein Erik Tuastad, political scientist at UiS. Photo: Mathias Oppedal / news About 4.3 million had the right to vote in the municipal and county council elections in 2023. Almost 750,000 had an immigrant background. Of these, more than six out of ten did not exercise their right to vote, according to Statistics Norway. In addition, only 3 percent of the elected representatives today have an immigrant background. – Members with a minority background should be recruited both because it provides political role models and because it provides insight into minority communities. Those two things are very important. A vicious circle Low voter turnout among immigrants and poor representation in the parties has a direct connection, Tuastad believes. He describes the situation as a vicious circle, where the low proportion of representatives with a minority background leads to a lack of political role models, and a lack of insight into minority communities. Fewer people in these environments will therefore take an interest in politics, which in turn leads to fewer people taking part in it – and the problem is exacerbated. – This is very, very serious. What is problematic is that the election results are not representative of the population. Who has the right to vote in Norway? Norwegian citizens who have turned 18 by the end of the election year, who are or have been registered in the national register as resident in Norway. Citizens of Denmark, Finland, Iceland or Sweden who have turned 18 this year, and are registered in the national register as resident in Norway no later than 30 June 2023 (Municipal and County Council elections 2023). Persons who are not Norwegian citizens, but who have turned 18 this year and have been registered in the national register as residents of Norway in the last three years before election day. Employees of the diplomatic or consular service and their household have the right to vote even if they do not meet the residency criteria, as long as they are Norwegian citizens. Source: valg.no Lack of someone who can speak their case – They know almost nothing, are not well informed enough and do not see the purpose of voting. They do not feel that they have any impact on politics. Jaroslaw Sobon, former leader of the Immigrant Council and member of the Conservative Party Photo: PRIVATE Jaroslaw Sobon has spoken to many immigrants about electoral participation, both through his work in the Conservative Party and as former leader of the Immigrant Council in Stavanger municipality. After several door-to-door campaigns, he has noticed one reason in particular why the immigrants’ interest in politics is relatively lukewarm: – They also look at the municipal council, where there are almost no representatives who can speak their case. This is answered by the parties Ismail Burak Akkan / news Sveinung Rotevatn, deputy leader of Venstre – We certainly have a way to go to become even more diverse. Politics is important, but if you don’t recognize yourself in the politicians who champion it, it is not certain that you will get as far as reading the programme. Torkel Anstensrud Schibevaag / news Ane Mari Braut Nese, county leader in Rogaland Høyre – We would like more people with a minority background to join political parties, and promise to take good care of those who will help shape our society. She says that Høyre has worked with recruitment over several years, and has introduced various measures to achieve diversity. Silje Rognsvåg / news Dag-Inge Ulstein, deputy leader of KrF – All the parties have a big job to do here, not just as part of the election campaign strategy. – We plan to hold network gatherings and conferences precisely to build relationships and trust, and to ensure that these communities understand that we want to take them seriously – also outside the election campaigns. Kristoffer Steffensen Lenes / news Erlend Wiborg, parliamentary representative for FrpWiborg believes that the parties should work actively to recruit from the entire population. – Bringing in people with different backgrounds, professional experience, different age groups, gender and so on is important, but ultimately is the policy a driver that is the most important. Øystein Otterdal / news Dag Mossige, group leader in Stavanger Ap – The city council group should clearly reflect society in general, and it is very important that we get good representatives from these communities. – We are particularly proud of the high proportion with an immigrant background in our city council group (Stavanger), which is 3 out of 22, or 13.5 per cent. This is the result of an active recruitment process. Rødt Reidar Strisland, party secretary in Rødt – It is disturbing for democracy that there are so few municipal council representatives with an immigrant background. The parties have a big job to do in recruiting more broadly, including us in Rødt. Terje Pedersen / NTB Audun Herning, party secretary in SVHerning believes it is important to think about diversity among the elected representatives. – We work systematically to ensure that there is room for several types of people in the party. It is about securing tasks for different people, having an inclusive way of working and working to reach new groups. Rogaland Center Party Vidar Nedrebø, county leader in Rogaland Sp – Unfortunately, the Rogaland Center Party has too few active members with an immigrant background. In several nomination periods, we have tried to recruit more people to the lists and as members. – I think getting involved in the local community and in politics is a bit foreign to them. We hope to be able to turn this around going forward, and that there will be a greater focus on it in the upcoming election campaigns. Fears immigrants struggle to relate to the parties Mushrifa Ali Mubarak is one of those with an immigrant background who have found their way into politics. She sits on the city council in Stavanger and is one of the Labor Party’s 22 representatives. Mushrifa Ali Mubarak, city council member, Stavanger Labor Party Photo: Adrian Fosse Årthun / news The Labor Party has not yet discussed the low turnout among immigrants after the municipal and county council elections in 2023, according to Mubarak. Like Tuastad, she points out the importance of diverse representation in politics. – It is important that we reflect the society we live in, which is no longer homogeneous. If we can’t do that, I think immigrants will struggle to relate to the political parties. Lack of good enough information The entire burden cannot be placed on the parties, Mubarak believes. To reverse the trend, cooperation between several agencies is required, she elaborates. She refers to the various channels you have to go through when you first arrive in Norway. – There are a lot of new things that you have to deal with when you are new to a country, and it is not certain that you remember this with elections and the right to vote. It is probably a lot about information, and that you have not received good enough information. According to her, the problem of electoral participation among immigrants must be addressed in the party. – I will certainly take this further. A representative democracy is very important.
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– Should actively recruit members with a minority background – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
