The outcome was no twelve municipalities and yes eleven in referendums to merge Monday. The life of large municipalities seem to be lackluster.
Local Government Minister Jan Tore Sanner (H) is not surprised by the result.
– Polls diverge. In just over half of the municipalities, it has been no and just under half have been yes. It is low voter participation, and this result requires that local politicians show leadership and they find good, forward-looking solutions, he said.
The referendum also shows that where residents of one municipality approves merger, says residents of the counterparty often no.
Do not have large municipalities
Many small municipalities have little eager to go along with larger neighbors, and in Møre og Romsdal are cities like Molde and Kristiansund now left alone in their desire to form large municipalities with neighbors.
Sanner still seems light in the darkness.
– It is known that many of the smaller municipalities are hesitant to go along with the cities. Meanwhile, many of the smaller municipalities also agreed to work together with other neighboring communities. It shows that local politicians see the need for larger municipalities, he said.
He comes with a strong call to local politicians to take action and find neighbors to team up with.
– The alternative to municipal mergers is not that everything is as it was. The option can quickly be further centralization, warns Sanner.
Super Monday
In Møre og Romsdal was “super Monday” with a referendum throughout 14 municipalities. The majority of the seven said no, while the majority of the seven other said yes. In Molde were also conducted a citizen survey showed a clear majority for a storkommune neighbors.
Neighbors say however no to this, and the majority of voters in such Fræna would rather settle with Eide in the east.
In several other cases it was indeed at one, but no in the other.
– This is a bit like free, and get no, says Mayor of Midsund Odd Helge Gangstad (Sp) to NRK.
The residents of the municipality would team up with Aukra. But there said the majority no.
Low turnout
According Sanner was the results of the referenda as expected.
Participation in referenda were highly variable. In Stord municipality in Hordaland attended only 18.7 percent.
Sanner think this may have several reasons.
– It is conceivable that many believe local politicians must take responsibility for the future structure. It is local politicians who are elected by the citizens, who should make the decision. So it has been very many different options in many municipalities, he said.
No to jærkommune
In Rogaland said majority in both Ha and Klepp no to a merger of these two municipalities and Time to a larger jærkommune. In Time was however a majority of the merger.
As much as 83 percent in Rælingen in Akershus said no to the merger.
On the island of Stord is the population divided along the border between the two municipalities there. Majority Stord want the two will merge, while the majority in Fitjar are opposed.
In Sogn og Fjordane was the referendum in Vågsøy and Selje about merging the two and Vanylven. The majority said yes in Vågsøy, while the majority said no in Selje.
The municipalities have been given on themselves until 1 July proposing mergers with neighbors.
(NTB)
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