– We will not grant an exemption, says Henrik Halleland (KrF) to news on Wednesday evening. – We have had a group meeting and concluded that we cannot rise above the law, he continues. He says there were discussions during the group meeting tonight, but that they managed to come up with a solution. – We say that we have confidence in having Sissel Knutsen Hegdal as mayor in the future. The left also said on Wednesday that they will not approve the application. – We do not consider the justification in the application to be good enough to grant an exemption. Thus, the only alternative is for Sissel to continue as mayor, says group Mette Vabø. – It will also give us the necessary peace of mind we now need to manage a demanding budget, she continues. There are now four parties that have announced that they will not approve the exemption application for Sissel Knutsen Hegdal. Venstre, KrF, Rødt and MDG have all said that they do not see the reasons in the application as sufficient for her to resign. On 4 September, the mayor of Stavanger, Sissel Knutsen Hegdal, announced that she would resign after misuse of the Conservative Party’s funds for private purposes. She has submitted an application for resignation, and the Conservative Party has nominated her successor. But the application was not approved by the municipal director, and everything is now in the city council’s hands. It is not certain that Knutsen Hegdal will be allowed to resign. There are strict rules for what is required for a mayor to resign. Does not meet requirements According to §7-9 of the Local Government Act, it is only when the office leads to “substantial inconvenience” that the elected official can be relieved of office. And it is this formulation that has caused problems in the case. The mayor has not stated that it is a significant disadvantage for her to continue in office. Group meetings on Wednesday evening Several of the parties that sit on the city council in Stavanger have group meetings on Wednesday evening, before the city council meeting on Monday 14 October. Several parties have already announced their position on whether they will accept Hegdal Knutsen’s application or not. Frp, Sp and INP say they are prepared to approve the application for exemption. The Pensioners’ Party says they will accommodate the application, but that they expect a revised application on the table by Monday. Red and MDG say they will not approve the application. Group leader in Rødt, Sara Nustad Mauland in Rødt has pointed out that the criteria for elected officials to be able to resign from office are strict in Norway. Group leader in MDG, Daria Maria Szymaniuk believes the mayor must submit a new application. – If there is a more detailed application from the sitting mayor, we will consider the matter again, she told news on Tuesday. But on Wednesday morning, her spokesperson, Trond Birkedal, confirmed that she will not submit a new exemption application. Ap, Venstre, SV, Høyre and KrF discussed on Wednesday evening how they stand on the issue. Published 09.10.2024, at 20.27 Updated 09.10.2024, at 20.36
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