Leader election in KrF: Broad support for Ulstein

Tuesday is the deadline the election committee in KrF has given the county teams to enter who they want as the new leader and deputy leaders in the party.

11 out of 15 county teams want Dag-Inge Ulstein to become permanent party leader, according to a survey carried out by NTB.

– It is of course nice. Then it is the election committee that gets to collect and take that round. But of course I’m happy to hear that, says Ulstein to NTB.

– So I really hope we can get on now, and I think a lot of people in the local and county teams are also concerned about that.

Pointing to Ropstad

Agder wants a comeback for former party leader Kjell Ingolf Ropstad, while Vestfold has submitted a split proposal between Ulstein and former Storting representative Hans Olav Syversen.

Ropstad himself has denied that he is relevant. The same has Syversen.

Innlandet and Troms will decide during Tuesday, while Telemark has not responded to NTB’s inquiries.

Vraker Røse

The county teams are far more divided in who they want as deputy leaders. Current deputy chairperson Ida Lindtveit Røse has said that she would like to continue. She has at least eight county teams behind her.

However, three county teams propose to replace Røse. These are Agder, Vestfold and Rogaland. The three will instead bring in Jorunn Gleditsch Lossius from Agder, who lost the runner-up match against Røse last year. Lossius has confirmed that she makes herself available.

– We have brought in Lossius because we see a need to build trust and to bring new dynamism into the management, says county leader Siri Bloch Lindtveit in Rogaland to NTB.

Rogaland is also the home county of retired party leader Olaug Bollestad.

Bjuland: – I am motivated

Rogaland wants KrFU leader Hadle Bjuland as second deputy leader.

Bjuland wanted first place on the parliamentary election list of Rogaland KrF, but the nomination committee chose instead to nominate ex-mayor Jonas Andersen Sayed. Sayed has said that he has no ambitions to become deputy leader of KrF. However, Bjuland has.

Møre and Romsdal also want Bjuland in. Akershus points to both Bjuland and Lossius, but wants Røse as first deputy.

– This is a nice message to receive. I am motivated to do a job as deputy leader of KrF if the party wants it. We have an important job ahead of us next year to ensure a strong KrF, says Bjuland to NTB.

New consultation round

New KrF leadership will be elected at an extraordinary national meeting on 25 January.

The leader of the election committee, Reid Ivar Dahl, has previously said that it is natural that at least one of the KrF leadership sits in the Storting.

Ulstein has said that he does not want re-election to the Storting. He still stands by that, he confirms to NTB. Deputy leader Røse is not sitting in the Storting today.

The selection committee will now make contact with proposed candidates and other candidates the committee believes are relevant, says Dahl. A new consultation letter will then be sent out to the party on 15 October.