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2007 Norwegian local elections

March 13, 2024

Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway on 10 September 2007, with some areas polling on 9 September as well. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently. In addition, several municipalities held direct mayoral elections.

For the country at large, the election produced a major setback for the Socialist Left Party, while most other parties, including the two other parties of the governing Red-Green Coalition, the Norwegian Labour Party and the Centre Party, made some advances or held their position from 2003.

Term of office was 1 January 2008 until 31 December 2011.

Identification requirement edit

A new rule required voters to produce an identity document in order to vote. This change was criticized by the Red Electoral Alliance who argued that poor people without such documents would be unable to afford such a document, and thus wind up disenfranchised. The minister in charge of the election, Åslaug Haga, prompted the local election authorities to exercise discretion, and aid people who need identification if necessary. It was also not necessary to have identification if the ballot recipient knew the voter and could vouch for him or her.[1]

Voter turnout concerns edit

Ahead of the election, it was feared that voter turnout would be lower than the 59% of the 2003 local elections, which was already low by Norwegian standards. Even so, a few days before the early voting deadline had past, about 291,200 ballots had been cast prior to the election, up from the 249,022 ballots cast in 2003.[2]

The final result showed a turnout of 61.7% in the municipal election,[3] and 57.5% in the county election.[4]

Results and response edit

Municipal elections edit

2,209,706 valid votes were cast for the municipal elections, a turnout of 61.7%. These are the aggregate results:[5][6][7]

PartyVotes%
Labour Party655,09329.65
Conservative Party425,69419.26
Progress Party387,47617.54
Centre Party175,6737.95
Christian Democratic Party141,0196.38
Socialist Left Party137,0416.20
Liberal Party129,6565.87
Red Electoral Alliance41,3401.87
Pensioners' Party20,5010.93
Coastal Party8,9820.41
Environment Party The Greens6,9630.32
Sunnmøre List5,5950.25
Sámi People's Party1,1400.05
Social Democratic Party5370.02
Communist Party5260.02
Society Party3930.02
Joint, local and other lists72,0773.26
Total2,209,706100.00

In the large cities, Oslo and Bergen retained a majority for the non-socialist parties. The Labour Party enjoyed significant gains in Trondheim and Tromsø. A Conservative-Labour coalition will share the power in Stavanger (continue) and Kristiansand (new).[8]

County elections edit

2,076,609 valid votes were cast for the county elections, a turnout of 57.5%. These are the aggregate results:[9]

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Labour Party639,78130.81236+28
Conservative Party389,43718.75120+7
Progress Party384,98218.54141+14
Centre Party162,6607.8373–7
Christian Democratic Party139,5846.7254−3
Socialist Left Party135,4616.5246−44
Liberal Party116,3165.6037+10
Red Electoral Alliance42,9202.078+2
Pensioners' Party22,6491.095–3
Environment Party The Greens12,3790.6000
Coastal Party9,1040.443−1
Democrats6,3520.3110
Sunnmøre List5,5950.2730
Christian Unity Party2,8110.1400
Vestfold List1,5930.080–2
Oslo City Action1,4660.070–
Communist Party1,2100.0600
Sámi People's Party1,1400.051–1
Sámi People's Party list 23930.020–
Immigrant Party3290.020–
Democratic Alternative Oslo1910.010–
Society Party1290.0100
Liberal People's Party1270.0100
Total2,076,609100.007280
 
Election results by county

Response edit

For the country at large, the Socialist Left Party's (SV) popularity plummeted, and the result was described as a "catastrophe". Most other main line parties could log slight gains or a result comparable with the previous election.

Part of the explanation for SV's poor performance has been laid on their performance in the cabinet. In particular Helen Bjørnøy, the minister of environmental affairs, and Øystein Djupedal, the minister of education and research have faced criticism. Bjørnøy has been well respected, but has suffered due to having to make compromises on environmental issues, in particular to the Centre Party which favors rural development, often over conservation. Djupedal has had to contend with accusations of arrogance, and several teachers, who SV have traditionally fared well amongst, have complained about the lack of improvement in the country's education system. Also, SV's party leader and Norway's minister of finance, Kristin Halvorsen has been behind some unpopular economic measures.[10] Olav Gunnar Ballo, an SV member of parliament has called for the resignation of both Bjørnøy and Djupedal,[11] but on the day after the election, Halvorsen announced that none of the SV cabinet members would be dismissed.[12]

Allegations of electoral fraud in Drammen edit

In the municipal election in Drammen, it was revealed that a number of drug addicts had been offered 50 NOK (approximately 8 USD) if they would vote for the Labour Party, and with a personal vote for the candidate Yousuf Gilani. There were also allegations that Gilani had escorted voters into the election booths.[13] Another allegation was that a person who declined a bribe to vote in this manner was subjected to death threats.[14] The police investigating the allegations indicated that electoral fraud had indeed taken place, Gilani was asked by his party to take a leave from his political duties.[15] Gilani took a leave, and both he and the Labour Party have stated that this was a decision made on Gilani's initiative.[16]

Gilani himself reported the case to the police, denying any wrongdoing and stating his belief that the incident was part of a smear campaign.[17] Gilani also reported death threats and incidents of harassment directed against him during the run-up to the election.[18]

Two members of the Drammen council, from the Progress Party and the Socialist Left Party called for the result to be cancelled, and for new elections to be held in the city. Åslaug Haga, the minister whose cabinet was in charge of the elections, also hinted that a rerun might become necessary.[19] However, the mayor, Tore Opdal Hansen (Conservative), while expressing shock at the revelations, said that would probably not happen. It was pointed out that the scope of the fraud appeared small, and that even if all the 364 Labour ballots with a personal vote for Gilani were thrown out, that there would be no effect on the council's composition partywise.[20] A meeting in the Drammen election board on 24 September approved the result, prompting demands for law amendments ro allow election reruns even if the party composition in the council remained unchanged. Mayor Hansen was among those expressing disappointment at the board not having the authority to reject the result, even if the personal composition of the council could be altered.[21] Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa, the new minister of Local Government and Regional Development, and in charge of the Norwegian elections at large, promised to consider amendments to the tighten the law if needed to prevent such incidents happening again.[22]

Direct mayoral elections edit

Several municipalities held direct mayoral elections rather than having the council appoint the mayor. The municipalities holding these elections were (municipalities who held such elections for the first time are marked "(new)"):[23]

Among the notable results in these elections was Knut Henning Thygesen's victory in Risør, making him the first mayor ever for the Red Electoral Alliance.[24]

References edit

  1. ^ -Fattige har ikke stemmerett ("The poor don't have the right to vote") NRK Østlandssendingen, September 3, 2007
  2. ^ Low voter turnout predicted 2007-09-09 at the Wayback Machine Aftenposten, September 6, 2007
  3. ^ Election results: municipal
  4. ^ Election results: county
  5. ^ Official municipal election results from the Norwegian government website.
  6. ^ ssb.no - Municipal council election 2007. Valid votes, by party/electoral list and municipality
  7. ^ ssb.no - Municipal council election 2007. Valid votes by party/electoral list1 and municipality. Percentage
  8. ^ Nå starter kampen om byene 2007-09-18 at the Wayback Machine Now the battle of the cities start, Aftenposten, September 11, 2007 (in Norwegian)
  9. ^ Official county election results from the Norwegian government website
  10. ^ Government changes loom after election 'catastrophe' 2007-09-15 at the Wayback Machine Aftenposten, September 11, 2007
  11. ^ Krever hoderulling etter SV-fiaskoen Demands head rolling after SV fiasco, Aftenposten, September 11, (in Norwegian)
  12. ^ Sparker ikke SV-ministre ("Will not fire SV ministers") NRK, September 11, 2007 (in Norwegian)
  13. ^ - Så Ap-politiker geleide velgere 2008-06-10 at the Wayback Machine ("Saw Labour politician escort voters") Aftenposten, September 19, 2007 (in Norwegian)
  14. ^ - Jeg ble drapstruet ("I received death threats") NRK Buskerud, September 21, 2007 (in Norwegian)
  15. ^ Politiet tror på valgfusk – Gilani bedt om å ta perm 2008-06-10 at the Wayback Machine (The police believes in electoral fraud, Gilani asked to take a leave) Aftenposten, September 22, 2007, (in Norwegian)
  16. ^ Fullt kaos i Drammen Ap 2007-10-01 at the Wayback Machine ("Full chaos in the Drammen Labour Party") Aftenposten, September 22, (in Norwegian)
  17. ^ Gilani anmeldte stemmekjøp til politiet 2008-06-10 at the Wayback Machine ("Gilani reported vote buying to the police") Aftenposten, September 19, 2007 (in Norwegian)
  18. ^ - Jeg ble drapstruet ("I received death threats") Nettavisen, September 20, 2007 (in Norwegian)
  19. ^ Haga: – Kan bli omvalg i Drammen 2008-06-10 at the Wayback Machine (Haga says there may be rerun of the election in Drammen) Aftenposten, September 19, 2007 (in Norwegian)
  20. ^ - Det blir ikke omvalg 2008-06-10 at the Wayback Machine ("There will not be a rerun of the election") Aftenposten, September 24, 2007 (in Norwegian)
  21. ^ Ikke omvalg i Drammen 2008-06-10 at the Wayback Machine ("No rerun of the election in Drammen") Aftenposten, September 24, 2007 (in Norwegian)
  22. ^ Kleppa vil se på saken 2008-06-10 at the Wayback Machine ("Kleppa will look at the case") Aftenposten, September 24, 2007 (in Norwegian)
  23. ^ Kommuner med direkte ordførervalg (Municipalities with direct mayoral elections)
  24. ^ RVs første ordfører 2008-05-30 at the Wayback Machine (RV's first mayor) Nettavisen, September 11, 2007 (in Norwegian)

March 13, 2024
2007, norwegian, local, elections, country, wide, local, elections, seats, municipality, county, councils, were, held, throughout, norway, september, 2007, with, some, areas, polling, september, well, most, places, this, meant, that, elections, municipal, elec. Country wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway on 10 September 2007 with some areas polling on 9 September as well For most places this meant that two elections the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently In addition several municipalities held direct mayoral elections For the country at large the election produced a major setback for the Socialist Left Party while most other parties including the two other parties of the governing Red Green Coalition the Norwegian Labour Party and the Centre Party made some advances or held their position from 2003 Term of office was 1 January 2008 until 31 December 2011 Contents 1 Identification requirement 2 Voter turnout concerns 3 Results and response 3 1 Municipal elections 3 2 County elections 3 3 Response 4 Allegations of electoral fraud in Drammen 5 Direct mayoral elections 6 ReferencesIdentification requirement editA new rule required voters to produce an identity document in order to vote This change was criticized by the Red Electoral Alliance who argued that poor people without such documents would be unable to afford such a document and thus wind up disenfranchised The minister in charge of the election Aslaug Haga prompted the local election authorities to exercise discretion and aid people who need identification if necessary It was also not necessary to have identification if the ballot recipient knew the voter and could vouch for him or her 1 Voter turnout concerns editAhead of the election it was feared that voter turnout would be lower than the 59 of the 2003 local elections which was already low by Norwegian standards Even so a few days before the early voting deadline had past about 291 200 ballots had been cast prior to the election up from the 249 022 ballots cast in 2003 2 The final result showed a turnout of 61 7 in the municipal election 3 and 57 5 in the county election 4 Results and response editMunicipal elections edit 2 209 706 valid votes were cast for the municipal elections a turnout of 61 7 These are the aggregate results 5 6 7 PartyVotes Labour Party655 09329 65Conservative Party425 69419 26Progress Party387 47617 54Centre Party175 6737 95Christian Democratic Party141 0196 38Socialist Left Party137 0416 20Liberal Party129 6565 87Red Electoral Alliance41 3401 87Pensioners Party20 5010 93Coastal Party8 9820 41Environment Party The Greens6 9630 32Sunnmore List5 5950 25Sami People s Party1 1400 05Social Democratic Party5370 02Communist Party5260 02Society Party3930 02Joint local and other lists72 0773 26Total2 209 706100 00In the large cities Oslo and Bergen retained a majority for the non socialist parties The Labour Party enjoyed significant gains in Trondheim and Tromso A Conservative Labour coalition will share the power in Stavanger continue and Kristiansand new 8 County elections edit 2 076 609 valid votes were cast for the county elections a turnout of 57 5 These are the aggregate results 9 PartyVotes Seats Labour Party639 78130 81236 28Conservative Party389 43718 75120 7Progress Party384 98218 54141 14Centre Party162 6607 8373 7Christian Democratic Party139 5846 7254 3Socialist Left Party135 4616 5246 44Liberal Party116 3165 6037 10Red Electoral Alliance42 9202 078 2Pensioners Party22 6491 095 3Environment Party The Greens12 3790 6000Coastal Party9 1040 443 1Democrats6 3520 3110Sunnmore List5 5950 2730Christian Unity Party2 8110 1400Vestfold List1 5930 080 2Oslo City Action1 4660 070 Communist Party1 2100 0600Sami People s Party1 1400 051 1Sami People s Party list 23930 020 Immigrant Party3290 020 Democratic Alternative Oslo1910 010 Society Party1290 0100Liberal People s Party1270 0100Total2 076 609100 007280 nbsp Election results by countyResponse edit For the country at large the Socialist Left Party s SV popularity plummeted and the result was described as a catastrophe Most other main line parties could log slight gains or a result comparable with the previous election Part of the explanation for SV s poor performance has been laid on their performance in the cabinet In particular Helen Bjornoy the minister of environmental affairs and Oystein Djupedal the minister of education and research have faced criticism Bjornoy has been well respected but has suffered due to having to make compromises on environmental issues in particular to the Centre Party which favors rural development often over conservation Djupedal has had to contend with accusations of arrogance and several teachers who SV have traditionally fared well amongst have complained about the lack of improvement in the country s education system Also SV s party leader and Norway s minister of finance Kristin Halvorsen has been behind some unpopular economic measures 10 Olav Gunnar Ballo an SV member of parliament has called for the resignation of both Bjornoy and Djupedal 11 but on the day after the election Halvorsen announced that none of the SV cabinet members would be dismissed 12 Allegations of electoral fraud in Drammen editIn the municipal election in Drammen it was revealed that a number of drug addicts had been offered 50 NOK approximately 8 USD if they would vote for the Labour Party and with a personal vote for the candidate Yousuf Gilani There were also allegations that Gilani had escorted voters into the election booths 13 Another allegation was that a person who declined a bribe to vote in this manner was subjected to death threats 14 The police investigating the allegations indicated that electoral fraud had indeed taken place Gilani was asked by his party to take a leave from his political duties 15 Gilani took a leave and both he and the Labour Party have stated that this was a decision made on Gilani s initiative 16 Gilani himself reported the case to the police denying any wrongdoing and stating his belief that the incident was part of a smear campaign 17 Gilani also reported death threats and incidents of harassment directed against him during the run up to the election 18 Two members of the Drammen council from the Progress Party and the Socialist Left Party called for the result to be cancelled and for new elections to be held in the city Aslaug Haga the minister whose cabinet was in charge of the elections also hinted that a rerun might become necessary 19 However the mayor Tore Opdal Hansen Conservative while expressing shock at the revelations said that would probably not happen It was pointed out that the scope of the fraud appeared small and that even if all the 364 Labour ballots with a personal vote for Gilani were thrown out that there would be no effect on the council s composition partywise 20 A meeting in the Drammen election board on 24 September approved the result prompting demands for law amendments ro allow election reruns even if the party composition in the council remained unchanged Mayor Hansen was among those expressing disappointment at the board not having the authority to reject the result even if the personal composition of the council could be altered 21 Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa the new minister of Local Government and Regional Development and in charge of the Norwegian elections at large promised to consider amendments to the tighten the law if needed to prevent such incidents happening again 22 Direct mayoral elections editSeveral municipalities held direct mayoral elections rather than having the council appoint the mayor The municipalities holding these elections were municipalities who held such elections for the first time are marked new 23 Ostfold Eidsberg new Spydeberg new Akershus Hurdal Nesodden new Hedmark Alvdal Trysil Oppland Gausdal Nord Aurdal new Sondre Land new Buskerud Lier Hemsedal new Vestfold Re Holmestrand new Notteroy new Stokke new Tonsberg new Aust Agder Risor Evje og Hornnes new Vest Agder Farsund new Flekkefjord new Kvinesdal new Songdalen new Rogaland Strand Klepp Vindafjord Egersund new Time new Hordaland Fusa new Kvam new Sogn og Fjordane Selje Vagsoy new More og Romsdal Gjemnes Molde Averoy new Sula new Orskog new Sor Trondelag Hemne Osen new Nordland Evenes Donna new Troms Harstad Ibestad Lyngen Kvaefjord Skjervoy Skanland Malselv Lenvik new Finnmark Deatnu Tana new Among the notable results in these elections was Knut Henning Thygesen s victory in Risor making him the first mayor ever for the Red Electoral Alliance 24 References edit Fattige har ikke stemmerett The poor don t have the right to vote NRK Ostlandssendingen September 3 2007 Low voter turnout predicted Archived 2007 09 09 at the Wayback Machine Aftenposten September 6 2007 Election results municipal Election results county Official municipal election results from the Norwegian government website ssb no Municipal council election 2007 Valid votes by party electoral list and municipality ssb no Municipal council election 2007 Valid votes by party electoral list1 and municipality Percentage Na starter kampen om byene Archived 2007 09 18 at the Wayback Machine Now the battle of the cities start Aftenposten September 11 2007 in Norwegian Official county election results from the Norwegian government website Government changes loom after election catastrophe Archived 2007 09 15 at the Wayback Machine Aftenposten September 11 2007 Krever hoderulling etter SV fiaskoen Demands head rolling after SV fiasco Aftenposten September 11 in Norwegian Sparker ikke SV ministre Will not fire SV ministers NRK September 11 2007 in Norwegian Sa Ap politiker geleide velgere Archived 2008 06 10 at the Wayback Machine Saw Labour politician escort voters Aftenposten September 19 2007 in Norwegian Jeg ble drapstruet I received death threats NRK Buskerud September 21 2007 in Norwegian Politiet tror pa valgfusk Gilani bedt om a ta perm Archived 2008 06 10 at the Wayback Machine The police believes in electoral fraud Gilani asked to take a leave Aftenposten September 22 2007 in Norwegian Fullt kaos i Drammen Ap Archived 2007 10 01 at the Wayback Machine Full chaos in the Drammen Labour Party Aftenposten September 22 in Norwegian Gilani anmeldte stemmekjop til politiet Archived 2008 06 10 at the Wayback Machine Gilani reported vote buying to the police Aftenposten September 19 2007 in Norwegian Jeg ble drapstruet I received death threats Nettavisen September 20 2007 in Norwegian Haga Kan bli omvalg i Drammen Archived 2008 06 10 at the Wayback Machine Haga says there may be rerun of the election in Drammen Aftenposten September 19 2007 in Norwegian Det blir ikke omvalg Archived 2008 06 10 at the Wayback Machine There will not be a rerun of the election Aftenposten September 24 2007 in Norwegian Ikke omvalg i Drammen Archived 2008 06 10 at the Wayback Machine No rerun of the election in Drammen Aftenposten September 24 2007 in Norwegian Kleppa vil se pa saken Archived 2008 06 10 at the Wayback Machine Kleppa will look at the case Aftenposten September 24 2007 in Norwegian Kommuner med direkte ordforervalg Municipalities with direct mayoral elections RVs forste ordforer Archived 2008 05 30 at the Wayback Machine RV s first mayor Nettavisen September 11 2007 in Norwegian Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2007 Norwegian local elections amp oldid 1206387129, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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