On 11 September there are municipal and county council elections. Then you and I will elect representatives to both municipal councils and county councils in Norway. National politicians are therefore not so central in this year’s election campaign, even if they constantly appear on TV and in newspaper interviews.
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Rødt politician Mímir Kristjánsson is struggling to find his place in this year’s election campaign.
– I know exactly what to do. I stand and talk to voters, drive the other candidates around, do all the good old grassroots work. But I will not participate in any party leader debate. Then I have to contribute in other ways, says Kristjánsson to Nettavisen.
– Stands for every vote
We’ve all gotten that phone call. The one that immediately makes us regret answering. The one with the delightful voice on the other end who will use any trick to get you hooked.
But if the salesperson on the other end of the phone has a Stavanger dialect, and speaks warmly of distribution and solidarity with the country’s poor, it becomes more difficult to pick up the phone.
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On X (Twitter), Kristjánsson asks people to call him directly if they are unsure whether to vote Red in Rogaland.
“Send me a private message with your phone number and I’ll call and convince you. Because now it’s about every vote!”, he writes.
– It is the best way to reach people. I have already received a few calls, and have more to call. The goal is to get through the entire list today, says Kristjánsson.
Are you considering voting Red in Rogaland, but are unsure whether you should do so?
Send me a private message with your phone number and I’ll call and convince you.
Because now it’s about every vote!
— Mímir Kristjánsson (@mimirk) September 7, 2023
Does it work?
In the United States, the practice is somewhat more normalized. There, the parties make use of so-called “call centres”, where volunteers call around to people with a manuscript in front of them, and try to influence them to vote in one direction or the other. The questions are rehearsed in advance.
Kristjánsson admits that he has been inspired by the Americans. He adds that it is just as effective as knocking on people’s homes, or standing around.
– Have you collected any votes yet?
– Yes, I feel that it went well. At least someone has promised to vote Red after I called. I would have been a lousy politician if I hadn’t been able to convince them, laughs Kristjánsson.
Got a rejection from the local newspaper
On the way into the election campaign, Rødt is putting a turbulent summer behind him. After the sunglasses scandal, Bjørnar Moxnes resigned as party leader. Rødt thus lost its most prominent politician since the party’s foundation in 2007.
On TV 2’s first election forecast for August Rødt’s support was almost halved nationally. The party went from 7.2 percent to 3.8 percent in support.
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Now Kristjánsson believes that it is the local politicians’ turn, and that the national politicians should shadow the course. Among other things, he praises Suldalsposten, after they refused to cover a visit by him during a local courtship in Suldal.
– It gives me an aftertaste. I don’t want to overshadow local politicians, says Kristjánsson.
– At the same time, you are a national politician who gets involved in local elections?
– I contribute where I can. But, no, I cannot speak on behalf of the local politicians in small municipalities around the country, says Kristjánsson in conclusion.
2023-09-07 09:52:51
#Mímir #Kristjánsson #great #lengths #reach #voters
