Now that the smoke has settled after the election, a political fireground remains for the Center Party over large parts of the country. It is particularly bad in Nordland. – I am both disappointed and surprised, says Frank Johnsen to news. He is a leader in the Nordland Center Party. In 2019, the party held a snap election in Nordland. Then district politics was high on the agenda and the fight against centralization and municipal amalgamations was like a flypaper on frustrated voters. After the election, SP had a historic 19 mayors in Nordland. Now the story is completely different. In a preliminary review carried out by news, it appears that the party could lose as many as 15 mayors. In several municipalities, tough negotiations remain, but it does not look bright for the Center Party. Downturn across the country The party is down more than 10 percentage points in 85 municipalities across the country, writes Dagens Næringsliv. In 19 municipalities, the party falls by more than 20 percentage points. The party has declined the most in Andøy municipality in Nordland, with a whopping 43.5 percentage points. Here Sp made a historic election in 2019, when they got 56 percent after going in to protect Andøya airport. Now they are left with 12.5 percent. In the county council in Nordland, the party goes back 14.6 percentage points. – We were aware that this would be a difficult choice, but I didn’t think it would go so hard on us, says Johnsen. Salmon tax and Milk Island – What do you think is the reason? – I think that we are being punished locally for things the government has done. This applies, for example, to the salmon tax and Milk Island, perhaps especially Milk Island. The way it was communicated and the timing is difficult for us. There was not much of a good mood during the centre-party’s election vigil in Bodø. Photo: Kai Jæger Kristoffersen / news Johnsen also believes that the circumstances have made it difficult for the government and the Center Party. – Everything is going the wrong way. Food prices, petrol prices and electricity prices. The government gets the blame without necessarily being to blame. – You seem to be losing a lot of mayors? – Many people want to quit, including many we experienced as safe. Johnsen mentions, for example, Hattfjelldal in Helgeland where the Labor Party eventually won the election. The decline on Andøy was also surprisingly large. – I realized that we weren’t going to make the same choice on Andøy again, but I didn’t think it would go down so sharply.
ttn-69
Mayoral collapse for the Center Party in Nordland – news Nordland
