The case in summary: Petter Arnfinn Bjørnli from Bindal in the very south of the Helgeland coast has only two choices in the municipal election: SV or Ap. The Labor Party has had a clear majority in the municipal council for the past four years. Bindalslista and the Center Party are the other two parties in the municipal council. The current mayor of Bindal, Britt Helstad (Ap), is concerned about the development. Mayoral candidate Frode Næsvold (Ap) is disappointed that there are not more parties to choose from in the municipality. Social scientist Johannes Berg says the Bindal example is extreme, but not unique in Norway. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content has been reviewed by news’s journalists before publication. It can be difficult to know what to vote for in the municipal election. But if you live in Bindal at the very south of the Helgeland coast, the choice is very easy. Or very difficult. At least if you are a member of the Conservative Party, as Petter Arnfinn Bjørnli is. He only has two choices: SV or Ap. – We tried very, very hard to get a list this year, but it was very difficult. Unfortunately, it has become the case in Bindal that there is one party that has had a majority in the municipal council. For the past four years, the Labor Party has had a clear majority with nine representatives here. Petter Arnfinn Bjørli was mayor for the Conservative Party in Bindal municipality from 2010 to 2015. – The waste of preparing politically Bindalslista (5) and the Center Party (3) are the other two parties in the municipal council. According to Bjørnli, the result has been that it is the membership meeting of the Labor Party that actually governs in Bindal. He believes that this has meant that the opposition does not feel that they are being heard. Bindal municipality is located in the very south of Nordland and borders Trøndelag. – Then they feel that it is a waste to prepare politically and run for the municipal council and have not been listened to at all. Bjørnli himself has a past as mayor in the coastal municipality. Then he led a cooperation list between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party. Municipalities with few electoral lists to choose from Bindal (Nordland): Ap and SV Hattfjelldal (Nordland): Ap and Sp Grane (Nordland): Ap and Sp Røst (Nordland): Røst sämpögliste and Sentrumslista Ibestad (Troms and Finnmark): Ap and H Fyresdal (Vestfold and Telemark): Ap and Sp Berlevåg (Troms and Finnmark): Ap and Sv Årdal (Vestland): Ap and H Modalen (Vestland): Samlingslista and Solrenningslista Utsira (Rogaland): Utsiralista and Utsira district list Tydal (Trøndelag): Ap and Sp Due to illness, he had to quit as mayor, and he has not participated in the last term. – What are you going to vote for this year? – I honestly don’t know. I think that the Labor Party has a good candidate, they should. But I don’t know if I should vote for them, he muses. Ann-Kristin Vikan What do you think of the fact that there are only two parties to vote for this year? – It’s not good. I miss a little more variety and selection among the parties. I think many will choose not to vote this year. I’m still not sure if I’m going to vote. Mats Skarstad What do you think it does to democracy? – It’s hard to say, but it’s clear that it’s an advantage to have more choices. It goes without saying when there are only two lists. It is a pity that there are not more, so that more people could find their opinion again in the party programmes. Åshild Dybvik How do you think the turnout will be? – Difficult to predict. I’m relatively new to binding, so I’m very excited. I think the Bindalians are conscious and engaged, so I think they’re going to step up and have a strong voice. Otto Bøkestad What do you think about the fact that there are only two lists to choose from? – It’s too bad. I think people are losing interest. Some are sure to give the cat, while others vote blank. There must be a red-green majority, so I will probably vote blank this year. – More important than ever to vote Mayoral candidate Frode Næsvold (Ap) is disappointed that there are not more parties to choose from in the municipality. – That would have resulted in more good discussions and better solutions, says Næsvold. But he believes they should be able to embrace all the citizens and their views nonetheless. – It’s about getting the machinery to work and developing the municipality. The mayoral candidate believes the most important battle going forward will be to get as many people as possible to use the right to vote. – Even if it is not their core party they are voting for, it is important to give those who are standing a pat on the back. Then they see that they have their backs, says Næsvold. Do you know who to vote for this year? Yes I’m still a little unsure I won’t vote Show result Today’s mayor in Bindal, Britt Helstad (Ap) is worried about the development. – I think the turnout will plummet. Bindal has had a very high turnout, especially in municipal elections. I am excited to see how many blank votes we get. Bindal mayor Britt Helstad. Photo: Ole-Christian Olsen / news After this, she hopes many will see that you have to get involved. – I hope SV gets some candidates in, so we don’t have an entire municipal council from the Labor Party. It is not good, says the Labor Party mayor. More options than you get the impression Social scientist Johannes Bergh says few lists are relatively common in small municipalities. Municipalities such as Årdal in Vestland and Tydal in Trøndelag also have only two lists before this year’s elections. However, Bergh calls the Bindal example extreme. – A characteristic of democracy is that there is a real choice and real shifts between position and opposition, says researcher at the Institute for Social Research, Johannes Bergh. Photo: William Jobling / news The voters in Bindal not only have limited choices, but Bergh also questions whether the election even matters that much – whether the Labor Party has a majority in the municipal council anyway. – What is an advantage of democracy is that the voters can throw out the politicians if they are not satisfied with the policy that has been pursued. Being occasionally challenged and having a change in policy will be an advantage in the long run. But even though it is only Ap and SV that the residents of the Nordland municipality can choose between, Bergh emphasizes that individuals often have greater importance in local elections. – In local politics, for many people the person will be more important than the party. If you only have two lists, it may still be the case that there are differences between people in where they come from and what they mean. The choice is slightly greater than what you get the impression from looking at the number of lists. Ahead of the 2019 election, we visited another municipality in Helgeland. The citizens of Vevelstad had no political parties to vote for.
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Petter Arnfinn Bjørnli from Bindal will vote for the Conservative Party – can only choose between SV and Labor Party – news Nordland
