Eirik Ross is actually retired, but now the 79-year-old gets a 50 percent position as deputy mayor. Ross will soon have his own office next to the mayor at the Town Hall in Kongsvinger. – It is very gratifying and I am proud on behalf of the party. When I look at the votes we have received, it is far above what is common in the country, so it indicates that we have done a good job, he says. The Pensioners’ Party in Kongsvinger received 12.3 percent of the vote and that made them the third largest party in the municipality. On a national basis, Kongsvinger is one of the municipalities where the party has done best in the municipal elections. – I am a bit surprised, but I had hoped that we would make a good choice, says Ross. Never before has the Pensioners’ Party done so well On a national basis, the Pensioners’ Party made the best municipal election ever. The Pensioners’ Party now has representatives in 48 municipalities with 82 mandates. – We are very satisfied. It is important to get people into municipal councils. It is where the decisions are made. We have also brought in nine representatives in the county councils, says Kurt Heggernes, leader of the Pensioners’ Party in Norway. The municipal election summarized for the Pensioners’ Party In Innlandet and Trøndelag, the most municipalities have the Pensioners’ Party in the municipal councils. In each of the counties, there are 11 municipal councils that have representatives from the Pensioners’ Party. Innlandet and Trøndelag were the Pensioners’ Party’s strongest counties in 2019 as well. Tar nigen “Biden” Kongsvinger and Hitra got the first deputy mayors for the party in 2011. After that, there has been a deputy mayor from the Pensioners’ Party in Åsnes this period. Arnt Helleren, who tops the list for the Pensioners’ Party in Lillesand, was this week asked to become deputy mayor, but declined. – I don’t take any “Biden”, says Helleren. He has given the place to partner the Center Party. – Younger forces are given free reign. I will be 80 next year. The job of deputy mayor is a big task and the others on our list have no previous experience in politics, so it had to be this way, he says. The Pensioners’ Party’s support over time 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 0% 2% 4% The graph shows the Pensioners’ Party’s support in the last municipal elections, all over the country combined. – Has built on previous good results – The Pensioners’ Party has made progress in counties where they were already strong, but stronger progress in Innlandet than in Trøndelag. Similarly, Kongsvinger was a municipality where the party already did well in 2019, with 10.8 per cent. Here they have built on previous good results, says Jo Saglie, researcher at the Institute for Social Research. Jo Saglie is a researcher at the Department of Social Research. Among other things, he does research on local democracy and political parties. Photo: Tor-Emil Schanche / news This year’s election is the best municipal election in the party’s history with 1.5 per cent of the total votes, but not that much better than the second best which was in 1991. – Support has fluctuated a bit up and down. There has been no straight-line growth, says Saglie. – Is PP a party we have to count on in the future? – It remains to be seen. They have had some success, and representation in local politics can provide a basis for further party building. But on the other hand, it is not certain that the party fills a need that is not covered by other parties, says Saglie. Ready to start a new job Eirik Ross is ready to take up the job as deputy mayor even though he is retired. – I am 79 years old and a grown man. It is more demanding to be deputy mayor than to be an active politician in the municipal council and various committees, but this is just an opportunity I have to take, says Ross. From now on, Eirik Ross will be 50 percent deputy mayor and 50 percent retired. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news
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The best choice for the Pensioners Party ever. In Kongsvinger they got the deputy mayor – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
