Reidar Nordhaug joined the municipal council for the Labor Party in Sunnfjord municipality as an eighteen-year-old, and before the first meeting he was handed 1,100 pages of case documents. When he asked if he really had to read them all, and got a clear yes back. He thinks local politics is characterized by sweaty baguettes and regulatory plans. After eight years in local politics, he gives up. – It is a vicious circle when few young people lead to less engaging issues, which in turn lead to fewer young people in politics, he says. Reidar Nordhaug and Silje Vallestad together with Mani Hussaini and Ragnhild Kaski on action against sea landfill in Førdefjorden in 2016. Photo: Amanda Iversen Orlich / NU Silje Vallestad joined AUF because she wanted better school policy and a greater focus on mental health. During the election in 2019, she was in the municipal council together with Nordhaug. She wishes there were more younger people in local politics and is not on the list for the autumn either. – If you see the live stream of the municipal council meeting, it’s been many months, there’s no doubt about that, says Vallestad. A democratic challenge In the last election period, 10.6 per cent of Norwegian municipal council representatives were in the 18-29 age group, figures from Statistics Norway show. The median age for municipal council representatives is 49 years. news has spoken to several young elected officials who are withdrawing from politics. Hilde Horpen is withdrawing from municipal and county politics because she does not feel motivated for four new years. Silje Viktoria Vallestad is resigning after a period as deputy in the municipal council because she wants to have more time to focus on work and leisure. Sunniva Oldeide is leaving the municipal council because politics is challenging to combine with young children and a hectic workday. Reidar Fugle Nordhaug retires after eight years in local politics. He will spend more time on his studies and have more free time. After several years in the municipal council, the county council, and in the central board of AUf, she gives up because it cannot be combined with the lecturer’s studies in Oslo. Low political participation among young people is a democratic challenge, according to election researchers. Younger people lose weight Without the younger people in formal channels, we risk a democracy that is unable to meet future challenges, says postdoctoral fellow in comparative politics, Jana Belschner. – The party must be able to tap into the great potential that lies in younger people. In Norway, the party’s youth organizations are stronger than in other countries, and this is an advantage that must be used. Jana Birke Belschner says that low political participation among young people is a democratic challenge. Photo: UIB Belschner points to the demographic trend that there are fewer and fewer young people in society. – Young politicians make different decisions and act more long-term than older ones. Therefore, it may be wise to give the young people more political power. The representation of young people is better than in other countries, but one challenge is that many have left politics, says Mari Helliesen, doctoral candidate in similar politics. Mari Helliesen researches political participation, climate policy and representation. Photo: Solfrid Langeland Young people’s climate attitudes are less represented than those of older people. – Climate change will affect the young today to a greater extent than the elderly. Their perspective is important in debates and decisions on climate policy today, Helliesen points out. Willing to speak up to help decide It was the fight for queer rights and the refugee crisis that made Sandra Kalland Tenud join AUF as a 16-year-old. After several years in the municipal council, the county council, and in the central board of AUF, he gives up. Photo: UNKNOWN / AUF She says that young people are a “missing group” in politics. – There is not much room for young people in politics. Not just those who have gone on to study specialization and who move to study, but all those who remain at home to work. Where are they in politics? Young, educated and urban women feel to a greater extent that they can influence politics than middle-aged men in the countryside, figures from the Citizens’ Survey show. – Younger people matter. For democracy to work, it must be used and representative, says Jette Christensen, former Labor politician and leader of the National Electoral Board. – Voting depends on the content of the policy. How relevant it is, whether something is at stake and whether it means anything that I stand for election. Jette Christensen says that politics must give young people an experience that their vote matters. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB scanpix It is important that young people vote for our system to be legitimate and for their voices to be heard, says Christensen. A passion But some young politicians stay in politics. Erlend Svardal Bøe is a parliamentary representative for Høgre. At 14, he became the youngest ever county leader in a political party. Erlend Svardal Bøe is a parliamentary representative for Høgre Photo: Marita Andersen / news The only time age has been used against him is when someone has had a strong disagreement with him. – It’s a classic ruling technique, but when people do it to me, I just take it as proof that my arguments have something to do with them. He says he has gone a few rounds with himself when it has been at its worst. – For me, being politically engaged is a passion, and the day it goes from being a passion to becoming a job, then I will quit politics.
ttn-69
The local democracy has lost these young people’s representatives – news Vestland
