This is the case summarized: • Raudt leader in Leirfjord, Alf Harald Sælevik, changed his mind at the last minute and overturned the Frp in the negotiations for a new political majority in Leirfjord municipality.• This meant that Sælevik’s roommate, Åshild Pettersen SV, was appointed to deputy mayor.• Raudt’s local team is disappointed that Sælevik changed his mind and resigned from the party.• The leader of the Frp in Leirfjord, Kay Rune Nersund, is also disappointed with Sælevik’s decision and believes that it is the care of his roommate that has caused Sælevik to switch page.• The new deputy mayor Åshild Pettersen denies that the cohabiting couple have discussed the turnaround on home turf. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. That personal chemistry trumps ideology in local politics is a well-known phenomenon. And they have been experiencing this in Leirfjord municipality in Nordland recently. There has long been tension over who would govern Leirfjord for the next four years. On one side were the Labor Party and SV. On the other side were Sp and Frp. They had nine mandates each – and the joker was Raudt with his one mandate. Raudt leader Alf Harald Sælevik in Leirfjord thus set the key to who became mayor in the municipality. It has created political drama locally. Plague or cholera On 4 October, negotiations took place in Leirfjord, and there it became clear that the local team in Raudt had chosen to support the Frp and Sp. The party rallied around Kay Rune Nersund from the FRP as candidate for mayor. Even Sælevik did not agree with the decision that the local team had taken. – It is a bit difficult. I would prefer to go several rounds to try to get a coalition on the left. But I didn’t hear about that. When one has chosen that path, that is how it is. I just have to accept what my local team has said, he has previously told news. The first municipal council meeting with the new municipal council in Leirfjord. Photo: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg / news According to Sælevik, the real mayoral election in Leirfjord for Raudt was between plague and cholera. He elaborated that it is cholera in the form of a mayor they like, but who represents a party and a policy far removed from Raudt’s core values. Or plague in the form of a mayoral candidate in whom they have little confidence, but where the party’s national policy is closer to Raudt. And at the beginning of October, the election for the local team fell on “cholera”. But now Sælevik has changed his mind and has gone for “plague” instead of. Mayors throughout the country Map view Mayor’s party in each municipality Map of Norway where each municipality is marked with the party color of the party that has the mayor Not decided yet Select area All of NorwayAgderInlandetMøre and RomsdalNordlandRogalandTroms and FinnmarkTrøndelagVestfold and TelemarkVestlandViken Party Mayors Change Labor Party 110 −40 Conservative Party 102 +69 Center Party 88 −42 Progress Party 14 +11 Christian People’s Party 11 +1 Socialist Left Party 5 −1 Red 1 +1 Left 1 −1 Green Party 0 −1 Others 24 +2 The overview shows in how many municipalities each party has been given the mayor. In 1 municipality, it has not yet been decided who will be mayor. The change shows how many more or fewer mayors the parties have so far, compared to 2019. Last updated 19/10/2023. Made roommate deputy mayor For the evening before the municipal council meeting, Sælevik broke up with Leirfjord Raudt, and now acts as an exempt representative. – In Leirfjord, the parties on the left, the Labor Party, the Socialist Liberal Party and independent representatives from Raudt’s list, have agreed on a common political platform for the next four years, write Sten Rino Bonsaksen Ap, Åshild Pettersen SV and Alf Harald Sælevik in a joint press release. Sten Rino Bonsaksen was officially elected mayor and Åshild Pettersen was elected deputy mayor during Wednesday’s municipal council. Photo: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg / news It should also be mentioned that Åshild Pettersen from SV is Sælevik’s roommate. She will now be deputy mayor. And with that, Nersund from the FRP does not become mayor anyway. – One is a little shocked that he behaves in such a way. I can see that he has a motivation to do it, because his roommate is the top candidate for SV. She will now be deputy mayor, says Nersund. – Rysta – He wants to break with what he himself said in the election campaign and he wants to break with what Raudt has decided, says Nersund. He does not think it is good that personal relationships should be decisive for the political outcome. – I don’t think that’s good. – One is a bit shocked that he behaves in such a way, says Kay Rune Nersund from Frp, who was sacked as mayor at the finish line. Photo: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg / news – How are the reactions in Leirfjord? – Those of us who agreed with the collaboration are a little shaken by what has happened. He believes it is the consideration of his roommate that has made Sælevik change sides. – It is disappointing that it is done in such a way. There is no neat way to do it. Disappointed local team Sælevik tells news that the reason he changed his mind was about political influence. – What does Raudt in Leirfjord say about this? – I think we will become friends. I think it will go well. But it is not entirely certain that it will happen immediately. Deputy representative Torill Pauline Walla (Red) says she and the rest of the local team are disappointed by what has happened. – It is the process in particular that I react to. After all, he himself went out of his way and called a possible collaboration with Ap a “plague”. Then we find out through a press release that he has announced that Rødt Leirfjord and changed sides. Here is the question news has asked the former Raudt leader: – What does Raudt in Leirfjord say about this? – I think we will become friends. I think it will go well. – Is the dog unfamiliar now? – No. We have been very much in disagreement about the choice of road. Now what has happened, we will also see how the road will continue. We are a political platform that can have real impact. – I had to distance myself from Raudt to show some respect for the local team and show that this was something I had to do due to my political convictions. That is because politics must be at the center. – How difficult will it be to sit on a municipal council where the deputy mayor is your roommate and with whom you have children where you represent red and she represents SV? – Is there a problem? We each represent politics. – Do you understand that these questions are being asked? – Yes. It is also for this reason that the Municipal Act states that one is not ineligible to vote. – By going to Ap and SV, we get a lot of political impact, and when you put an electoral cooperation on the right together with a political platform on the left, it should be clear where Raudt should go, he says. – When I was between choosing an electoral technical agreement and now even up with the offer of a full political platform. Sælevik says he stood between an electoral cooperation with the FRP and an eight-page platform with a lot of influence with the Labor Party and SV. – If you think of Raudt and the Labor Party traditionally, then that is a better solution. If you look at politics, we have included half of our election program in that declaration. He denies that the reason for the change has anything to do with his roommate becoming deputy mayor. – Yes, of course. If I had thought about the family’s fortunes and fortunes, I certainly would not have seen her as deputy mayor with all the management that entails, he says. The roommate: – Hasn’t pressured him The new deputy mayor Åshild Pettersen denies that the roommate couple have discussed the turnaround at home. – It has gone a bit fast in the last few days, you could say. It was not clear until last night. Pettersen says they have not discussed this situation at home. – We have not discussed this in particular at home. My party chose to leave the negotiations with SP and FRP a few weeks ago, and I have not pressured him into anything and let the process take its course with him. After the stunt of the roommate, Åshild Pettersen (SV) becomes deputy mayor anyway. Photo: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg / news During the municipal council on Wednesday, a proposal was also presented to buy out Pettersen 40 per cent for the job as deputy mayor. But the opposition objected, and the proposal was withdrawn. Thus, this question will be dealt with later. – Is there a need to buy off the deputy mayor’s 40 per cent? – If you read the platform, that’s it. It is based on the fact that she will be responsible for cooperation between the political parties, which has not existed before, says Sælevik.
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Raudt leader in Leirfjord changed his mind at the last minute – overthrew the FRP and made his roommate deputy mayor – news Nordland
