Finnmark Labour no longer wish to merge

Minister of Local Government and Modernisation Monica Mæland (Conservative Party)

Finnmark Labour no longer wish to merge with sister party

Finnmark Labour (Ap) is likely to take an about turn and vote no to a merger with their f(r)iends in Troms during their annual meeting this weekend. This adds another twist to the ongoing tug-of-war between the two counties before the merger into one large region.

 

– If the county councils merge, we risk losing influence in the central committee and at the country council, where we are represented today. We also fear that Finnmark may lose parliamentary mandates compared to today, says Leader in Porsanger Labour, Kjetil Hanssen, to NRK.

He has submitted a proposal for the weekend’s annual meeting in Finnmark Labour that they should vote no to a merger with their Troms counterparts. Several Labour politicians that NRK have talked with, believing the proposal will achieve a majority during the meeting in Kirkenes.

– The attitude is very broadly based. People do not want us to get into bed with Troms Labour, confirms Ingalill Olsen, outgoing Leader in the Finnmark Labour party.

About turn

This means that the county council has reversed its opinion since last autumn. As late as in October 2017, the county council signaled that there was a merger in the pipeline when the two counties merge into one region as of January 1, 2020.

– It will happen already in the summer of 2018, former county deputy leader Bente Haug predicted towards NRK at the time.

The Conservatives have already merged the two counties, and several other political parties have announced that they soon will follow suit.

The leader in Troms Labour, Cecilie Myrseth, says she does not wish to comment on the various proposals that will be put forward at the annual meeting of Finnmark Labour.

Earlier Friday it became known that Finnmark Labour will say no to the reached agreement regarding the merger of Troms and Finnmark during the annual meeting. A no from Finnmark Labour means that there will also be thumbs down when the county council is going to review the agreement in March. This entails that Minister of the Interior, Monica Mæland (Conservatives), will get the agreement returned to her.

 

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today