Sylvi Listhaug (Progress Party) resigns as Minister of Justice
Sylvi Listhaug says she can not allow her resignation to lead to the Progress Party to lose power and withdraws as the Minister of Justice.
– I am pleased that Siv and the whole party were willing to put the Government participation aside to support me as the Minister of Justice. But I can not allow my resignation to open for Progress Party to lose power, Listhaug writes in a post on her Facebook page.
She emphazieses that she withdraws voluntarily.
– It’s been up to me alone to remain, or if I should resign, wrote Listhaug.
Surreal
The controversial Progress Party politician describes the last week as “totally surreal” and a “witch hunt”.
– A facebook post, which had nothing to do with July 22, and which I apologied for, has turned Norwegian policy into a kindergarten. Then I think it’s my responsibility to act as an adult, she argues.
– I have experienced this as a pure witch hunt, where the purpose of Jonas Gahr Støre has obviously been to suppress freedom of speech on a topic that is one of the most important things we must discuss for Norway’s future, she continues.
Will not shut up
Listhaug says quite ordinary people the last week has been labeled and hung out to dry in the roughest manner, just because they supported her and Progress Party. At the same time, she concludes that she certainly will not shut up in her role as a parliamentary representative.
– When I leave, I promise not to be quiet in the Parliament. From now on I’m going to concentrate one hundred per cent on fronting the Progress Party’s policy together with my parliamentary colleagues, says Listhaug.
Listhaug thinks she is exposed to “a pure witch hunt”
Tuesday morning it is clear that Sylvi Listhaug resigns as the Minister of Justice. She calls the process before her resignation “as a pure witch hunter”.
– Thank you very much for the amazing support you have given me! Especially this week where it has stormed this bad. It has been a very challenging time for both me and my family, Listhaug writes on Facebook Tuesday morning.
– The last week has been completely surreal. Hun mener hun har blitt utsatt for en «ren heksejakt», og anklager Ap-leder Jonas Gahr Støre for å kneble ytringsfriheten.
– I will never accept the debate to be on Støres’ premises. Freedom of expression is an important Norwegian and Western value we must stand up for. I will never be a politician like everyone else. I want to be true to myself, writes Listhaug.
Siv Jensen: Labour (Ap) and the Christian Democrats (KrF) has given Sylvi Listhaug the best start to her further political career
Progress Party leader Siv Jensen says she is sorry that Sylvi Listhaug resigns as the Minister of Justice and guarantee that her political career is far from over.
– I have had an earnest wish that Sylvi should continue as the Minister of Justice. She has been and would continue to be a good Minister of Justice for Norway and the Progress Party, says Jensen in a statement to NTB.
– I can guarantee that Sylvi Listhaug’s political career is far from over. It has just begun. Labour and KrF have not managed to remove Sylvi Listhaug, you have provided her with the best possible start to her further career, she continues.
The Progress Party leader says the party has stood behind Listhaug all the way.
– This weekend I spoke to the county leaders in the Progress Party. All of them stand behind Sylvi Listhaug and were ready to leave the Government as an answer to the proposed vote of no confidence. It was in no way a possibility to follow the demands from Ap and KrF to have Sylvi replaced.
Helleland has great respect for Listhaug’s decision
Parliamentary leader of the Conservatives, Trond Helleland, has great respect for Sylvi Listhaug’s (Progress Party) decision to resign as Minister of Justice.
-I think Sylvi provides a very good reasoning, it has become a very difficult situation, says Trond Helleland to NTB.
Helleland believes that Listhaug’s decision to leave was selfless.
– She also says in her statement that the Progress Party will still be a part of Governmental co-operation, and that she will not stand in the way of that, says Helleland, who describes the situation as being tough for Listhaug.
She has apologized and done what she has been asked to do, but still the pressure has been maintained, I therefore really respect the decision she has made, says Trond Helleland.
On questions about how the Ministry of Justice’s departure will be received by the Conservatives (Høyre) Government partner the Progress Party, he answers the following:
– She has had all alternatives available to her and when she chooses this out of her own free will, I will believe that it is accepted by the Progress Party
Listhaug: Støre is not suitable to be Norwegian Prime Minister
Sylvi Listhaug went to frontal attack against Labour leader Jonas Gahr Støre during Tuesday’s press conference. She thinks he is not fit to become Prime Minister.
Listhaug announced that she withdraws as Minister of Justice and Emergency at 8 am Tuesday morning. At the same time she went to frontal attack on Labour leader Jonas Gahr Støre for initiating what she calls a “witch hunt”.
– The main goal of the election campaign was to keep Støre away from the Prime Minister’s office, and it is still the aim. He is not fit to be Prime Minister of Norway, she says.
She emphazises that she resigns voluntarily.
On Monday, a unanimous country council in the KrF voted to support a motion of no confidence, and Listhaug thinks the party lacks a backbone.
– It’s a party without management and no clear path onward, she says.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today