Christian Democratic Party’s national council does not have confidence in Sylvi Listhaug (Frp), and party leader Knut Arild Hareide asks the prime minister to take action to avoid a ‘no confidence vote’.
“The KrF’s national council has given clear advice to the parliamentary group of the KrF. The leadership has stated that they do not have confidence in the sitting Minister of Justice. They are asking Erna Solberg (H) to take action so we avoid getting a ‘no confidence’ situation in the parliament tomorrow” , said party leader Hareide after Monday’s meeting.
“The KrF’s national leader has also given the parliamentary group the mandate and permission to handle the matter that will arise in the Storting tomorrow. I will not comment on this matter before I approach the Storting’s chair in the morning, said Hareide before he disappeared into a lift in the parliament building.
A hard-pressed KrF leader made his statement after a four-hour long national council meeting, followed by a brief meeting in the KRF parliamentary group.
– Majority do not have confidence
The Red’s vote of no confidence against Justice Minister Sylvi Listhaug will be discussed in the Storting on Tuesday morning. Ap, Sp, SV and MDG supported the proposal already before Hareide made it clear that KrF does not have trust in Listhaug.
“The situation here on Monday afternoon is that a majority in the Storting does not have confidence in the Minister of Justice,” said AP leader Jonas Gahr Støre after Hareide’s statement.
The trouble began after Listhaug released a post on her Facebook page on February 9, where she accused the Labour Party of being more concerned with protecting the terrorists’ legal rights than the nation’s security. After massive criticism, the mail was deleted after five days.
The opposition has also been highly critical of Listhaug’s apology, and Hareide maintained on Monday that the apology had to be dragged out of her in Parliament last week.
Crisis meeting in the Right
Also, Frp gathered its parliamentary group for a brief briefing Monday, but Listhaug was not present at the meeting.
“Now it is up to the prime minister to explain the consequences of this and, as she has announced, she will do so at the Storting tomorrow,” said party leader Siv Jensen before the meeting on Monday.
Frp parliamentary leader Hans Andreas Limi says the party has no need to meet again before the parliamentary session starts at 10 am Tuesday. However, according to VG, an extraordinary group meeting is planned for 9:00 on Tuesday morning.
Asked Erna to solve the crisis
Also in his introduction to the national council meeting earlier this Monday, the KrF leader announced that the Prime Minister at the weekend was told that she had to solve this crisis.
– It is the prime minister who herself determines the composition of her own Government. If the prime minister does not settlethis and in addition herself elects to ask cabinet questions, she makes it very difficult for herself and her Government. It is the prime minister who is in charge, he said.
Hareide goes as far as saying that Solberg’s authority is weakened as a result of what he describes as dual communication from Frp over the last five years.
Solberg would not comment on the KrF leader’s statement on Monday, stating that she is responsible for the situation and whether she puts the question to the cabinet or not.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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