After the electoral settlement is complete, the distribution of personal votes and additional votes is ready. In Bodø, it was quickly decided that Høgre ran away with the victory and will get a new mayor in Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen. He brings 13 others from Høgre with him to the city council, and among them is 90-year-old Agnete Tjærandsen. She is one of the two oldest city council or municipality representatives in the country. – It is exciting. Tjærandsen will be 91 one month into the city council term, and will be one month away from 95 when the term is over. The same applies to Unni Hanson, who has been elected to the municipal council for Færder for the Progress Party. In 1932, Unni Hanson was born, but only when she retired did she become a serious politician for the Frp. Photo: news / JOHN-ANDRE SAMUELSEN In the USA, many have thought that the politicians there are old, as the average age of American senators is 64. Senator Mitch McConnell (81) has attracted attention when he twice “froze” during press conferences and had to be followed down from the podium. Current President Joe Biden is 80 years old, and the oldest president of the United States ever. But they cannot measure up to Hanson and Tjærandsen. – I was on the list to raise the average age in the city council, says Tjærandsen. Høgre has also had the oldest parliamentary representative of all time when Astrid Nøklebye Heiberg was appointed at the age of 83. She died in 2020. Climbed 35 places Tjærandsen was actually in last place on the list for Høgre, but with 162 personal votes and 14 slangers she came in tenth place. She then climbed 35 places. – I can only thank all those who have ticked the boxes for me, says Tjærandsen. Personal votes have a lot to say about how the municipal and city council will look, says election researcher Signe Bock Segaard from UiO. – A quarter of all municipal council representatives are elected by individual votes, she says to news. – Not just for men with ties around 50 – She was in last place on the list and was cumulated right in. Great fun. It’s cool. This is according to the leader of the electoral board, Ola Smeplass (Sp). He adds that there was no doubt about the outcome. – She came in with a pretty good margin. There was no doubt that she got in. He thinks it is wonderful that people of her age both give and, not least, gain trust. – It shows how well democracy works. This is not just for men with ties around fifty, here we have room for everyone. Leader of the electoral board, Ola Smeplass (Sp) says that it is good that Agnete Tjærandsen is still politically active even though she is 90 years old. Photo: Benjamin Fredriksen / news – The city council must represent everyone Tjærandsen agrees. – The city council must represent everyone who lives in the city. Over 73 percent of municipal politicians in Norway are over 40, according to figures from Statistics Norway. 20 percent of the people elected have passed the age of 60. – We need old people to get involved in politics, and attend the party’s nomination meeting. There are already so many old people in the population, and the number will rise rapidly. Tjærandsen is clear about which issues will be important to him in the years ahead. – Elderly care, elderly care, elderly care, she says and elaborates. It is also not the first time Tjærandsen has sat on the city council. She was in the period 1963–1967 and later in 2015-2019, and was a deputy in the last period. – I have great respect for the city council as a political body, but because I have been there before, I am not afraid to be active and take the podium with issues that concern me. The municipal board in Bodø | Bådåddjo Bodø | Bådåddjo has undefined seats in the municipal council. The places are distributed as follows: Wide age range From oldest to youngest. On the other side of the age scale we find 18-year-old Sandra Lorenze Vestnes (H). Together with Tjærandsen, she will join the city council in Bodø, and is the youngest representative. – Despite everything, it is us young people who will take over the city in the future, and then it is stupid that it is only the elderly who will decide how the city will be shaped. Only 10 per cent of the people elected in Norway are under 30 years of age. Sandra Lorenze Vestnes is happy that she has gained trust and that young voices have entered the city council. Photo: Petter Strøm / news Vestnes is clear that she will work on issues that are important to her, such as school and housing policy. – Age representation is important. I think it is more credible that an 18-year-old person speaks about what it is like to go to school, than a 50-year-old person. But she still thinks it will be good to have both young and old people with them. – It is important to get different views on things. Agnete Tjærandsen has lived a long life, and we have a different view of things. And then we get a young and a slightly older view of things. We are people with many different experiences, and I think that’s good.
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