It has been over a month since the mayor of Stavanger announced that she would resign after using party funds for private purposes. It has now been clarified that the mayor has submitted an application for resignation, and who the party is targeting as a successor. But there is still one question that remains: Will Sissel Knutsen Hegdal be allowed to retire? Because the legislation has strict rules for what needs to be done in order for elected officials in Norway to be allowed to resign. The case is scheduled to be considered by the city council on Monday 14 October, but several people have already notified that they will not grant Knutsen Hegdal an exemption from the mayoral post. Rødt and MDG will not approve the application – What is stated as a valid reason in the Municipal Act is not in line with the application, says group leader Sara Nustad Mauland in Rødt. Sara Nustad Mauland in Rødt says the application is now not in line with the municipal law. Photo: Erik Waage / news She says that they will not approve Knutsen Hegdal’s exemption application. The criteria for elected representatives to be able to resign from office are strict in Norway, clarifies Nustad Mauland. Group leader Daria Maria Szymaniuk in MDG says that at a group meeting yesterday they made a decision that they will not approve the exemption application as it is now. Daria Maria Szymaniuk is group leader for MDG in Stavanger. Photo: Dan Uneken / MDG – If there is a more complementary application from sitting mayors, we will of course reassess the application, she says to news on Tuesday. No significant disadvantage When you have gone to the polls for a position in a municipality, you have made a commitment for the entire election period. One cannot freely resign from office because one no longer wishes to be there, explains professor emeritus Jan Fridthjof Bernt at the Faculty of Law at the University of Bergen (UiB). Jan Fridthjof Bernt is professor emeritus at the University of Bergen. He has published a number of books on, among other things, administrative law and municipal law. Photo: Åge Algerøy – But then a person elected by the people can apply to the municipal council to be exempted from office. Then it is the municipal council that decides whether there is a good enough reason for it, he explains. According to Sections 7–9 of the Local Government Act, it is only when the office leads to “significant inconvenience” that the elected official can be relieved of office. It is precisely this formulation that has caused problems in Stavanger. The mayor has not stated that it is a significant disadvantage for her to continue. The director of the municipality has therefore decided not to grant an exemption from the mayorship for Sissel Knutsen Hegdal. – It is a formulation that is very round, which gives room to include many types of consideration. Not just the purely work-related, explains the law professor. He claims: – One can, for example, find oneself in a situation where it is difficult or impossible for political reasons to carry out one’s duties satisfactorily. This is particularly relevant for a mayor or others who have been elected to a leadership position. The city council has the last word According to Nustad Mauland in Rødt, it is precisely the term “significant disadvantage” that creates a problem. – Politically, we have no problem with her resigning, but legally we must treat this application on the same basis as other exemption applications, she says. When it comes to processing the exemption application, Stavanger City Council has the final say. They can choose to submit the application despite the municipal director’s recommendation. – The municipal director’s recommendation is only a professional legal assessment of whether there is a good enough reason, explains Jan Fridthjof Bernt. It is up to the municipal council whether they want to follow this, or still grant an exemption. But then they run the risk that someone will demand that the state administrator check the legality of the decision. – It must happen if three of the municipal board members ask for it, or if the State Administrator himself believes there is reason to assess whether a decision on exemption is legal, the law professor claims. Several will have a group meeting tomorrow Several of the group leaders in the city council that news has spoken to state that they have not yet decided how they want to stand in relation to the exemption application. The group leaders for the Labor Party, Høgre, KrF, Venstre and SV say they will have a group meeting on Wednesday to discuss the matter. Eirik Sakariassen in SV says, among other things, they will consider whether to postpone the case. Budget meeting in Stavanger, with the majority and the opposition. Henrik Halleland (KrF) and Dag Mossige (Ap) were among the participants. Photo: Øystein Otterdal / news The group leaders in Sp and INP say they are prepared to give Sissel Knutsen Hegdal an exemption. Group leaders in the FRP say they want to follow up on Hegdal’s wish to resign, but that she should correct the wording in line with the objections from the municipal director. Group leaders in the Pensioners’ Party say that they will also accommodate the application, but that they expect a revised application on the table before Monday. – Bergen had a monopoly on such political honors – In the context of a big city in Norway, this is a rather unique case. It used to be Bergen that had a monopoly on such political honors, but now Stavanger has made a big leap forward on the controversy scale, says Harald Birkevold, political editor at Stavanger Aftenblad. The case is scheduled to be considered in the city council next Monday 14 October. This is still not entirely certain. – There are some elected representatives who wonder whether it would be wise to postpone the whole matter until the next town council meeting in November. The reason is that people want more information, explains Birkevold. If Sissel Knutsen Hegdal is allowed to retire, the next step in Stavanger politics will be to find a successor. Høgre’s mayoral candidate Tormod Losnedal is the clear favourite. Political editor Harald Birkevold in Stavanger Aftenblad. Photo: Anett Johansen Espeland / news Høgre together with the party that governs the city now has a barely possible majority, with 34 against 33 representatives. Harald Birkevold says that the city council in Stavanger is now in a rather unique situation, where there is only one vote that separates the two blocks from each other. – You can end up in a situation where there is a tie. If only one sitting on the city council votes blankly, it will be 33-33. Then the municipal law says that the next thing that happens is coins and kroner, says Birkevold. – In theory, we could end up in a situation where there is a coin toss about who gets the mayor. It hasn’t happened before, but this case has taught us that you shouldn’t rule anything out, he concludes. Published 08.10.2024, at 18.02
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Disagree on whether they will approve the exemption application for Sissel Knutsen Hegdal – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
