On Friday, the news came that Bjørnar Skjæran is withdrawing as deputy leader candidate for the Labor Party. A short time later, Ap’s conductor cable was presented to the public. Jan Christian Vestre and Tonje Brenna join the Ap leadership as deputy leaders. Jonas Gahr Støre continues as party leader and Kjersti Stenseng as party secretary. This means that there are four from Eastern Norway that make up the four-leaf clover in the party’s top management. Not since 1992 have both Trøndelag and Northern Norway been conspicuous by their absence here. Political scientist Svein Erik Tuastad at the University of Stavanger says this is very unusual, but in many ways necessary. – There is a solitaire that will go up, and ultimately they need both peace and renewal. The last thing they want is discord within the party. Skjæran took one for the team and retired, while Stenseng refused, and maintained his position. – Two multi-millionaires With Skjæran out, Vestre and Brenna come in. The party has only had Skjæran as deputy leader after Hadja Tajik resigned following her tax case. There has been a lot of talk about Jonas Gahr Støre’s large fortune, but Jan Christian Vestre has an even bigger fortune. This is also a kind of factor in the solitaire in a negative sense, believes Tuastad. – The cabal doesn’t quite work out, because you have two multi-millionaires, and you don’t have Northern Norway in the party leadership. But it is still more important to have renewal in the management than to have people north of Dovre. People can get behind this, says Tuastad. Political scientist Svein Erik Tuastad at the University of Stavanger. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news Northern Norway and Trøndelag have historically been strong regions for Ap. Although there is no one in the top management, Tuastad will remind that government power in many ways trumps party leadership power. – We must not forget that you have Skjæran as minister and member of the central government. Ingvild Kjerkol is also the Minister of Health and a member of the central board. It is quite important, because after all the government governs more than the party leadership in Ap. – Skjæran came along as deputy chairman, partly because he is from the north, is it not so important anymore? – The dynamics of politics are constantly changing. Two or three years ago, the zeitgeist was elite rebellion and representation from the districts. There has been a lot of water down to the power cables since then. Now there are electricity riots and lousy opinion polls. So then you need renewal and peace, concludes Tuastad. Tone Sofie Aglen, political commentator, about the new Ap leadership. – Pure fabrication Bjørnar Skjæran denies that he was encouraged to resign by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. – A lot of strange things have been written in the media. Among other things, that my boss should have asked me to do this. It says I’ve been stabbed in the back. I’ve never tried to have a knife in my back, so I don’t know what it feels like. But I can assure you that I have full freedom of movement. This is fabrication, says Skjæran. Bjørnar Skjæran has to look far for a new deputy leader job in Ap. Here from a visit to Lofoten earlier this year. Photo: John Inge Johansen / news And adds: – I looked at the situation and thought it was my right to contribute. It is my decision, says Skjæran. He believes that the party leadership will be left without Northerners and Trønders for the first time in over 30 years. Full Skjæran split in Northern Norway: – Damn unnecessary with such personal conflicts – Now it’s up to three from Northern Norway in the central government. I have a lot of faith in this team. When Skjæran came in as Ap deputy leader four years ago, it was precisely his experience from local politics in the north that was highlighted by Støre. – Is it no longer so important that the districts are represented in the party leadership? – Now I continue in the other positions I have. And there will be three of us from Northern Norway in what many refer to as the powerful central government. Will not say whether he supports Helga Helga Pedersen confirmed on Thursday that she would stand as a candidate for new party secretary if she was nominated by the election committee. It didn’t turn out that way, but there is an opportunity to put up a contested vote at the national meeting against current party secretary Kjersti Stenseng, who the election committee wants to take forward. IN THE THINKING BOX: Helga Pedersen wants to return to national politics. – The party is in a very demanding situation, and that was the reason why I agreed to stand as a candidate. Photo: Eilif Aslaksen / news Skjæran will not say whether he supports his party colleague from the north. – It will be up to the national assembly to decide, he says. – Should sleep on it Helga Pedersen would not confirm on Friday afternoon whether she maintains her candidacy. – I will not decide on that today. Now I will firstly take note of the selection committee’s recommendation. After all, when you stand as a candidate for an office, all outcomes are possible. That is the policy, and I respect that the election committee has concluded as they have. – But when so many county associations want you as party secretary, don’t you feel a little obliged to run as a counter-candidate? – Now I think I will sleep a little on the recommendation from the selection committee, I will not take a position on that question today. – If you are proposed to, what do you say? – I don’t want to answer that today, I will now take note of the selection committee’s recommendation, we can also come back to the eventualities. The Vadsø mayor: – Rart Vadsø mayor Wenche Pedersen (Ap) takes note of the “wreck” of Helga Pedersen. – It is a good result that you have got three people into the central board from Northern Norway, but it would have been heavier on the scales and had Helga in the party leadership. That was my priority – and I thought it was Finnmark Ap’s priority, says Vadsø mayor Wenche Pedersen. Photo: Sidsel Vik / news – It is quite obvious that they have chosen to have three from the north in the central board instead of going for Helga Pedersen, and I think that is strange. I would prioritize Helga as party secretary if I were to choose. But I register that people have wanted it differently from Northern Norway, she says. I don’t think the voters care Stein Sneve is a political commentator in Avisa Nordland, and believes that this result will weaken Nordland and Northern Norway’s position within the party. Whether it will weaken the Labor Party’s position vis-à-vis the electorate is another question. – It is probably more doubtful, he says. Photo: Kåre Riibe Ramskjell / news – You get a party leadership that is more Eastern-centric, but also a young and quite dynamic leadership with young deputy leaders. It will probably appeal to the youth in the north. The Labor Party is probably more concerned with winning Bodø and Tromsø than the countryside in northern Norway. Sneve says that voters in Norway, and for the most part also Northern Norway, are more concerned with politics than geographical distribution. – I think the voters are more concerned with where they stand on specific issues, and to a lesser extent where the party leadership comes from. I think it’s a slightly old way of thinking, which applies more to the politicians than to the voters. But for the politicians in particular, Stein Sneve believes this will sting. – I think there will be wear and tear within the Labor Party. The politicians in Trøndelag and Northern Norway will feel pushed to the sidelines.
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Historic leadership cabal in the Labor Party – none from Northern Norway or Trøndelag – news Nordland
