There is likely to be a power struggle that extends far beyond election night in Norway’s second largest city. At 02.15 all the votes have been counted in Bergen. And the result is clear: the election thriller in Bergen is not over. Neither the right nor the left has a plural. A long line of small parties will now enter into negotiations with the Labor and Liberal Party in Bergen. Both the Labor Party and Høgre must establish cooperation with several parties, including the smaller parties, in order to secure city councils. Now it looks like the Bybanen will once again become the big political issue in the city between the seven mountains. Rune Bakervik during the vigil in Bergen. He does not want a rematch for the Bybanen over Bryggen. Photo: news Because even though earlier this year a historic decision was made to build the Bybanen and Bryggen, and both city council leader candidates in the two largest parties in the city promised that there would be no rematch, it is not certain that the last word has been said after all. Valnatta says city council leader candidate for Høgre, Christine Meyer, to BA that she is keeping the door open about Bybanen. – Now the voters have spoken. I am forced to listen to all the parties and see what they want, but I would like to see the distribution of mandates before I say anything more, says Meyer to BA. In Bergen, the Bybanen now runs to Flesland and Fyllingsdalen. Some people want the Bybanen to go to Åsane over Bryggen, others in a tunnel, and some people want the Bybanen not to go to Åsane at all. Illustration: Bergen municipality/Miljøløftet Head of Fana Høgre, Eivind Hermansen, tells Bergens Tidende that the light rail issue can be negotiated. – It has been a demanding case for Høgre. But the beauty of elections is that I get new signals. I have stood a lot at Lagunen. Many say that the light rail issue has made it difficult to support us. – But Meyer has guaranteed that there won’t be a rematch? – I have been involved for so long that I know that there will be negotiations, says Hermansen to the newspaper. Just a week ago, Christine Meyer said no to a rematch for the light rail during news’s metropolitan broadcast from Bergen. During news’s metropolitan broadcast from Bergen last week, both Meyer and Bakervik said that they would not go for a rematch in the light rail case. Fear of collaborative chaos While in other municipalities there is a municipal council, in Bergen and Oslo there is a city council and city council, a bit like a Storting and a government. But in order to form a city council, a party must have a majority in the city council. Of 67 seats, or mandates on the board, 34 must belong to a party. It is very rare for some parties to achieve this on their own. Therefore, they must cooperate with other parties, in order to achieve a majority. In the past, the Labor Party has collaborated with, among others, the Liberal Party, MDG, SV and KRF. Høgre has said that they would most like to work with Venstre, KRF and Frp. INP: Stands behind those who promise a rematch in the light rail issue But the FRP wants a rematch for the Bylane over Bryggen. The left wants to leave the ball dead. – If there is to be an alternative on the right, the FRP must probably be involved. They have made a very good choice and are back in Bergen. They have struggled in Bergen for a long time, so it must be good to be back the way they are now, says whale researcher Yngve Flo. He also adds that it will be interesting to follow the joker, the Industrial and Energy Party. According to news’s first forecasts, they are likely to get three mandates in the city council. – It will be a difficult party to see if a Høgre is going to get a majority, says electoral researcher Åsta Dynes Nordbø. First candidate in INP Bergen Jorun Hillersøy says they are very pleased if they get three mandates in Bergen city council. She does not want to say anything about whether they go for cooperation on the right or the left, but says the light rail issue is decisive. – So the one who promises to turn around the urban rail issue, will they go for them as city council leader? – Yes, Hillersøy answers firmly during news Vestland’s vigil. JUBEL: Høgre is by far the largest party in Bergen, according to news’s first forecasts. They are up almost 6 percentage points since the last local election. Photo: Simon Skjelvik Brandseth / news The Liberal Party’s first candidate in Bergen, and current finance councillor, Per-Arne Larsen says he is relieved on behalf of the Liberal Party after the first forecasts were clear at 21:00. – But I am disappointed on behalf of the city when three protest parties come in so strongly. There are clearly many citizens of Bergen who will continue to argue about Bybanen, even if all other parties apart from the FRP want to leave the ball dead, says Per-Arne Larsen in Venstre. Current financial councilor in Bergen, Per-Arne Larsen was pleased during the election vigil. Photo: news Here you can follow the latest news about the election in Vestland: Venta dead run For eight years the Labor Party has been in power in Bergen. But when news published its opinion poll in May, it seemed to be moving towards a change of power. Høgresida took the lead and Høgre got as much as 34 percent of the vote. Then, in news’s latest opinion poll from Bergen in September, the bell got a different sound. The right went back over six percentage points, and it looked like it would be a dead race between the bourgeois side and the left. Now news’s recent forecasts show that it could be just that in Norway’s next largest city.
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Høgre greatest and Bergenslisten will join the city council – news Vestland
