– Four years ago I became mayor without intending to. I was so far down in the shirt pile that day that it ended up being flannel. FRP mayor Torbjørn Klungland became a national celebrity in 2019 when he was elected mayor of Flekkefjord. Quite unexpectedly, he had the mayor’s necklace strung over his head, wearing a checkered flannel shirt. – Some would call it an iconic image. And it almost went viral, laughs Klungland. For many, it also became an image of folkliness. Mayor Klungland was also discussed at BAdesKen when he was surprisingly elected mayor two years ago. PHOTO: BADESKEN Photo: BADESken 14 in flannel Now a new iconic photo has possibly been taken. When the city council in Flekkefjord was to be constituted on Thursday evening, all Frp representatives showed up in brand new flannel shirts. The FRP group counts 14 out of 35 representatives. – Everyone was involved. We must have some fun! It’s a lot of heavy and tiring political meetings, so we have to have a bit of fun too, Klungland laughs. And thus the FRP cash register was opened. – We took money from the Frp cash register, yes, and bought shirts for all 14 in the city council and a bottle of Mozell for the constituent meeting, says Klungland. Flannel and Mozell have now become the trademark of Frp in Flekkefjord. Photo: Vetle Hjortland / news What do you think of flannel shirts? It’s cool, more people should use it! Blood Harry, I could never go along with that. I find flannel comfortable, but rarely wear it. Show result Flannel and Mozell Because let’s not forget the mozell. Another iconic moment that Klungland contributed to after two years as popular mayor in Flekkefjord. Torbjørn Klungland in the famous flannel shirt style after the FRP in Flekkefjord made the best FRP election in the whole country, with 45.5 percent of the vote. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news He got new national attention when he discreetly tried to take a sip of soft drink while then Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) was being interviewed on a very hot day in Flekkefjord. The result was massive attention. And a piece of sweaty mayor with red cheeks who had to answer for the contents of the bottle, in his inner pocket. – It’s Mozell in the bottle, but I see that the way I drink it makes it look like it’s something else, he chuckled when the clip went national. Torbjørn Klungland thought he was out of camera range when he took a sip of soda in the heat last Sunday. Photo: newspaper Agder Flannel dream – This is absolutely fantastic! I have followed Torbjørn for a long time, ever since the legendary photo when he was shocked to become mayor for the first time. Ken André Ottesen runs the Instagram account BAdesKen with almost 400,000 followers. There he posts curious clips from all the country’s local newspapers. He quickly developed a big heart for the mayor of Flekkefjord. – That video with the mozell bottle is one of the most popular posts on BAdesKen ever, says Ottesen. He and partner Paul Håvard Østby went straight to Flekkefjord when the FRP cleaned the table during the municipal elections this autumn. Mayor Klungland has managed to become a favorite with BAdesKen. Here is Ken Ottesen visiting Flekkefjord. – We need more people like Torbjørn in politics. Although politics is serious, it is important to have a bit of fun, Ottesen believes. Photo: Halvor Mykleby / Fabelaktiv – It was really crazy to walk around with him in the streets of Flekkefjord! He is so popular and talks to everyone. And when it became clear that all Frp’s list candidates entered the city council, Østby presented a challenge to the popular mayor. – We simply wanted a picture of everyone in flannel shirts. Last night the dream came true. – You don’t believe me that a picture rolled up on my phone late last night, it’s so lovely, Ottesen exults. The mayor of Flekkefjord showed up in brand new flannel on Thursday evening. Photo: Vetle Hjortland / news Folkelig in flannel Electoral researcher Dag Ingvar Jacobsen has several times highlighted the popular success of the mayor of Flekkefjord. – That’s the very recipe for popular, but it’s not about breaking any code, he’s just popular, said Jacobsen after this year’s local elections. And Klungland himself has no plans to change: – I have no intention of changing, but I probably can’t promise a flannel shirt at every municipal council meeting in the future, he laughs. What do you think of politicians in flannel shirts? Hello! Welcome to dialogue at news. Since you are logged in to other news services, you do not have to log in again here, but we need your consent to our terms of use for online dialogue
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– We must have some fun! – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
