Mistrust and coup accusations shocked the nation when Trondheim Ap had its annual meeting a month ago. At the weekend, more strife is expected when Trøndelag Ap will have the county’s annual meeting. There is great excitement as to whether former Labor deputy leader Trond Giske will make a comeback as a national politician and apply to return to the Storting. In that case, next weekend’s meeting will be one of several important steps on the road this year. There, important key roles such as who will be on the county board and the election committee for the general election in 2025 will be decided. In addition, the annual meeting will, among other things, point out which qualities will be decisive for the politicians who will be on the list of candidates for seats in the Storting before the election in 2025. Can the Trøndertoppen live in Oslo? After the autumn’s weak local elections, Trøndelag Ap has evaluated the election and made suggestions on how they can stand up. In addition, local teams have put forward their own proposals. Trondheim Ap will propose to require that parliamentary representatives have “closeness to the grassroots”. The annual meeting will also vote on whether parliamentary representatives “should have their permanent residence in the county”. The first-mentioned proposal can be interpreted as tailor-made for Giske, while the second can be read as an attempt to stop him: Although he is registered in Trondheim, where he works and studies, Giske has lived for many years on Grünerløkka in Oslo. – We have looked at what is needed and delivered 44 different measures at almost every level in the organisation, says Per Olav Skurdal Hopsø, who has led the work on the selection evaluation. It is in this report that the proposal for residence is put forward. EVALUATION: Former county leader Per Olav Skurdal Hopsø, who is now state secretary in the Ministry of Labor and Inclusion. Photo: Morten Andersen Hopsø believes that the most important thing is to lift the organizational work, and that more structure and system must be in place. – Ap must live on even if individuals come and go. The work must therefore be systematic. Comeback? Giske has not clarified whether he wants a comeback at the Storting. He now leads Ap’s largest local team, Nidaros social democratic forum, and earlier this year was elected deputy leader of the municipal party Trondheim Ap. Locally, many therefore assume that he will be willing to make a comeback at the Storting. – I have not decided whether I will run for the Storting, so I will not comment on that, says Giske to news. – At Nidaros, we spend our time on what is important to people: secure finances, good pensions, a more practical school that helps everyone, and good care for the elderly. Demand for power Giske was elected deputy leader during a highly dramatic meeting in Trondheim Ap a month ago. County leader Ingvild Kjerkol, who is up for re-election as leader of Trøndelag Ap, has described the annual meeting as “upsetting”. Now Kjerkol and the other delegates in the county must decide on an unusual proposal from Giske and Trondheim Ap. The proposal is formulated as a list of requirements for those who are to be nominated to the Storting from Trøndelag Ap. Giske himself will not comment on the proposal, which, however, corresponds well with how the Labor politician has marketed himself: Future Storting politicians should clarify “their visions, motivation and competence”, it says. “Trøndelag Ap must clearly show that closeness to the grassroots, closeness to working life should be the purpose of nominations,” it says. And for those who may wish to be re-elected to the Storting, there is an expectation to demonstrate “goal achievement in the previous period”, clarity on motivation for work in the coming period and concrete projects or political initiatives. MANAGER: Pål Sture Nilsen sits at the top of Trondheim Ap. Photo: Bjarte M. Johannesen / Bjarte Johannesen / news Newly elected leader Pål Sture Nilsen in Trondheim Ap says this when asked how the proposal should be understood: – This is a message from the party democracy that we must take this even more seriously. Why are we actually doing this? The parliamentary nomination is about applying to the country’s highest political body, says Nilsen to news. – My job as leader is to fight for what the members in Trondheim believe. Therefore, it is a completely natural part of party democracy that I sit on the nomination committee to safeguard the members’ views. What it will be, they will decide themselves in an open and democratic process. About Giske: – Solid and very concerned with the grassroots – “Closeness to the grassroots” is strongly emphasized in the proposal for parliamentary nominations? – Yes, we have to lift this up high. It is about activating the entire team and building the organization stronger. Everyone in Trondheim Ap has qualities we depend on. TRONDHEIM Ap: Newly elected leader Pål Sture Nilsen (left) and Trond Giske at the recent annual meeting. Photo: Bjarte M. Johannesen / Bjarte Johannesen / news – What do you think about Giske as a candidate for the Storting? – Trond Giske has extensive experience and is good at politics. He is a solid organization man and very concerned with the grassroots. But there are also many others who have those qualities. I look forward to seeing the organization unfold and making proposals at the annual meeting, says Nilsen. – But isn’t this proposal tailor-made for Trond Giske? – It’s probably more the other way around. Giske understands how the organization works at its best. It’s about strengthening ourselves and getting better at what we do. – Is all the noise surrounding Giske standing in the way of him becoming a Storting politician again? – No, I can’t see that there should be any obstacle. He has shown good results politically, says Nilsen. A big change awaits Today, Eva Kristin Hansen, Kirsti Leirtrø and Jorodd Asphjell sit in the Storting from Sør-Trøndelag Ap, which is a separate constituency during parliamentary elections with a separate nomination committee. This committee will be decided at the county annual meeting in a week and a half. Who comes along there will therefore be of great importance to which persons are proposed to the Storting for Labor in Sør-Trøndelag. Disputes over the composition of both the nomination committee and the new board of Trøndelag Ap have, according to TV 2 and Adressa, characterized the run-up to the meeting. news knows that many in Trøndelag Ap expect a large turnover among Storting politicians. None of the current three representatives has so far clarified whether they want re-election. Kirsti Leirtrø. Photo: Bjarte Johannesen / NRKEva Kristin Hansen. Photo: Torstein Bøe / NTB Jorodd Asphjell. Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva via REUTERS / NTB Giske sat in the Storting in the years 1997-2021, but does not sit in the National Assembly during this period. He had to resign as Ap deputy leader in January 2018 after breaking the party’s internal guidelines. However, he has spent the last few years building up the local team Nidaros Social Democratic Forum, which now has over 4,500 members. Through this local team, Giske has acquired a solid power base in Trondheim Ap and considerable influence in the county team. Trond Giske is thanked by party leader Jonas Gahr Støre during the national meeting of the Labor Party in Folkets Hus in Oslo in 2019. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB Kjerkol: Can seek re-election At the county annual meeting of Trøndelag Ap, a new county board will also be elected. It recently became clear that the newly elected leader of the Giske-dominated Trondheim Ap, Pål Sture Nilsen, is nominated for the board. Emil Raaen from Trondheim Ap has been appointed as deputy chairman. Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol is up for re-election as leader. She recently answered this when news asked her to describe her relationship with Trond Giske: – I have known Trond Giske for many years. After all, I am not a Labor Party politician who has been active in the AUF. I have never shared any AUF background or youth with Trond, Kjerkol said, and continued: COUNTY LEADER: Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol. Photo: Knut Are Tornås / news – I got to know him when I was an adult and a married mother of three, and we have worked well together at the Storting. So it’s been trouble free. – Will it also be problem-free if he seeks re-election to the Storting? – We now have good processes for nomination in Trøndelag. We are one county party, but we are two constituencies and conduct two nomination meetings. – But there is nothing standing in the way of Giske standing for election? – It doesn’t.
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“Close to the grassroots” – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
