The case in summary: • The Labor Party has the most mayors after the municipal elections, but the Conservative Party governs the most populous municipalities.• Of the country’s 20 most populous municipalities, only one will be governed by the Labor Party, namely Tromsø.• Approximately 3.6 million Norwegians will live in a Right-wing municipality, which makes up about 66 percent of the population. • The Center Party will be the mayor’s party for about 540,000 Norwegians, and has lost more than 40 mayors around the country. • About 870,000 live in a municipality governed by the Labor Party. That is no more than 16 percent of the population. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. It is now just over a month since the local elections. It ended in failure for the Labor Party, which for the first time in 99 years is no longer Norway’s largest party. Nevertheless, the party is left with the most mayors – as usual. At the time of writing, it is only in Saltdal, Bergen and Oslo where the decision has not been made. But everything indicates that there will be Conservative government in Norway’s two largest cities, which is why these are marked as blue in the map below. In Saltdal, negotiations are still ongoing. So far, the Labor Party has 110 mayors. Soon after comes the Conservative Party with 102. But if we look at the number of inhabitants in the respective municipalities, the Conservative Party knocks out the Labor Party. Of the country’s 20 most populous municipalities, only one is Labor-led, namely Tromsø. Ålesund is governed by the Frp, while the rest will have a mayor or city councilor from the Conservative Party. news has calculated that approximately 3.6 million Norwegians will live in a right-wing municipality. That is about 66 per cent of the population. Or 2 out of 3 Norwegians. This applies if both Oslo and Bergen are governed by the Conservative Party, which all indications are that they will be. 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. – For the Conservative Party, this is a great victory. They get the mayor in 18 of the 20 largest municipalities, and a large majority of Norwegians will live in a right-wing municipality for the next four years. It is worth noting that the Conservative Party will also govern many counties, for example Finnmark and Nordland, says Tone Sofie Aglen. Tone Sofie Aglen is a political commentator at news. Photo: Christina Hårvik Nieuwlaat / news She is a political commentator at news. Aglen believes that the large number of mayors gives the Conservatives better opportunities to build local profiles, carry out right-wing policies and criticize the government. – Mayors function both as listening posts and critical correctives, and to ensure local anchoring. In elections, it is often a great advantage for a party to govern many municipalities, because popular mayors are often trusted and are re-elected. – Defeat for Ap Arbeiderpartiet therefore governs more municipalities than the Conservative Party, but preferably small ones. Approximately 870,000 live in a municipality governed by the Labor Party. That is no more than 16 percent of the population. – For Ap, the defeat is all the greater. Although Ap is the largest mayoral party, many of these are in smaller municipalities. In addition to having lost all the big cities, they have also lost their grip on populous municipalities. They then risk less local anchoring, and the government’s policy will probably face more criticism from the country’s mayors, says Aglen. She believes it is painful for Ap to lose power in the big cities and in traditional Ap bastions such as Sarpsborg, Lillestrøm and Namsos, the Center Party will be the mayor’s party for around 540,000 Norwegians, and has lost more than 40 mayors around the country. In Nordland alone, they have lost 12. Nevertheless, Aglen believes they are relatively satisfied. – Sp is probably satisfied with having kept as many mayors as they do. It is clear that SP has lost in areas where they do not have long traditions, for example in northern Norway. It will probably lead to a more recognizable Sp, who prioritizes matters of the heart and core areas. For Frp, this year’s election has been an upturn. They go from 3 mayors to 12. Gender At the time of writing, there are 224 men appointed as mayors around the country. There are 129 women. This means that approximately 35 per cent of mayors are women. – Politicians must reflect the population, and equal gender balance is a goal. It may appear that women are less motivated to take up local political positions. On the other hand, all parliamentary leaders in the Storting are now women, says Aglen. Alder Paul Asphaug (Sp) in Hemnes is the country’s oldest mayor at 77 years of age. Håvard Handeland (Ap) in Sauda is only 19 years old and thus the country’s youngest. The median age is 52 years and the average age is 51 years for the country’s mayors. – Mayors are often politicians with some experience, both in and outside politics. Therefore, it is perhaps not so surprising that many are at that age. In comparison, many ministers in government are younger, news’s political commentator points out. Diversity Immigrants or children of immigrants make up about 19 percent of the population, according to IMDi. It is not reflected in the number of mayors. From what news understands, only Ian Parry-Jones in Nissedal has an immigrant background. He moved to Norway from Wales in 1990. – There is a striking imbalance. Part of the picture may be that many people with an immigrant background live in large cities. In the new city council in Oslo, for example, there are many elected representatives with a minority background, says Aglen.
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Two out of three Norwegians live in a Conservative municipality after the election – news Nordland
