SV leader Audun Lysbakken announced this autumn that he will not seek re-election as party leader. Since then, 41-year-old Bergstø has been among the favorites to take over. – After many calls from people all over the country, and after a thorough assessment, I have decided to make myself available as a leadership candidate, says Bergstø to news. – I want to continue the work of building a broad, strong and effective socialist people’s party, she adds. – Is it important now that there is no dispute about who will take over the leadership position after Audun Lysbakken? – It is important for the party that it is an orderly and good process. So personal choice is always political. Therefore, it is a strength if there are several candidates. It is possible that there will be more than those who have registered so far, I hope so for the sake of the debate. Then everyone who is a candidate for the position of leader in SV will be in the same party, so I think this will go just fine. FAVORITES: Kirsti Bergstø (from left), Kari Elisabeth Kaski and Torgeir Knag Fylkesnes have all been mentioned as possible SV leaders. Photo: NTB. The other two who have been most frequently mentioned in the discussion are deputy chairman Torgeir Knag Fylkesnes and fiscal policy spokesperson Kari Elisabeth Kaski. But Fylkesnes recently announced that he would probably not stand as a candidate. Kaski has not yet clarified whether she wants to run. But in an interview with VG yesterday, she said that it is out of the question for her to go into any battle at the national meeting. – Bergstø, are you ready for match voting at the national meeting, should it become relevant? – You have to decide on that if it becomes relevant, then the debate can go on. What is important now is to make it clear that you are a candidate, so that the party has the opportunity to discuss this before the election committee’s deadline expires. Have pointed to Bergstø Kirsti Bergstø is originally from Nesseby in Finnmark, but now lives in Nittedal outside Oslo and is elected to the Storting from Akershus. She has a past as a leader in Socialist Youth and has a long career in SV. She was also state secretary in the years 2010-2012, when SV was in the red-green government of Jens Stoltenberg. Bergstø has been deputy leader of SV since 2017. Several SV members have already announced that they want Bergstø as the new leader. Heidi Larsen from Viken and Åshild Pettersen from Nordland, who both sit on the national board, want Bergstø. The international leader of SV, Gjermund Skaar, wants the same: – It’s a little early in the process, but I personally think Kirsti is a self-described candidate, he told news a couple of weeks ago. At the same time, both Oslo SV and Sosialistisk Ungdom have said publicly that they want Kari Elisabeth Kaski as the new SV leader. The election committee has given the party teams until 20 December to enter relevant candidates. The recommendation from the selection committee must be ready on 4 February. LEADERSHIP CANDIDATE: SV deputy leader Kirsti Bergstø is running as a candidate to become the new leader of SV. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB Central position Audun Lysbakken announced on 9 November that he will not stand for re-election as leader at SV’s national meeting in the spring. He has been party leader since 2012. As the government’s budget partner, SV today has a very central position in Norwegian politics. The party recently agreed with the governing parties the Labor Party and the Center Party on next year’s state budget. At the same time, the party has remained stable in opinion polls at around 8-9 per cent over the past year. After the election victory last autumn, Ap wanted a government with three parties where SV was also on board. But the outcome of the negotiations in Hurdal was that SV returned home. This resulted in a government with Ap and Sp, which was Sp’s preferred alternative.
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Bergstø wants to become the new SV leader – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
