A majority of voters in Songdalen want to remain in the greater municipality of Kristiansand, preliminary figures from the digital votes show.
The postal votes must still be counted, so the final result is not yet clear. But the digital votes, which were counted just after 9pm on Friday, show that a majority want to remain part of Kristiansand.
Received over 6,000 electronic votes
In 2020, Kristiansand, Søgne and Songdalen were merged into one large municipality. The government has since promised that people in Søgne and Sogndalen would be allowed to have a referendum on secession from Kristiansand, and there has been great tension linked to the outcome.
According to Kristiansand newspaper (KRS) 1,191 in Songdalen voted for secession, 1,874 against and 39 voted blankly. In Søgne, 2,942 will vote for, 3,823 against and 78 blanks. The Norwegian Electoral Directorate must have received a total of 6,843 electronic votes.
It is not known how many postal votes have been received, but according to the Norwegian Electoral Directorate there are 10,279 eligible voters in Søgne. In Songdalen there are 5,592 eligible voters.
– It was right to hold a referendum
Local Government Minister Erling Sande (SP) states on Friday evening that the government will listen to the outcome of the referendums.
But even if it now seems that there will be a majority for Songdalen and Søgne to remain in Kristiansand municipality, Sande will not conclude yet.
– I am happy that so many people in Søgne and Songdalen have used the opportunity to express their opinion on this issue: It shows that this is an issue that engages people, and that it was absolutely right to hold a referendum, says Sande in a comment to NTB.
– I will only comment on the result when the postal votes have been counted and we have a final result. But I stand by what the government has said all along that we should listen to the outcome of the referendums, he says.
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2024-02-02 20:17:44
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