Camle Stovner: The red part of Oslo turns blue. According to a recent Oslo survey by Aftenposten, the Conservative Party is the largest in the entire city.
Arina Amir is 14th on Oslo Hoir’s list in this year’s local elections. He could become the youngest representative of the city council.
– Low tax. Resident Parking. and toll booths.
Opara Godswill has listed three important issues for him ahead of this autumn’s Oslo elections. He has always voted Labor. Now he has a doubt.
God is not only willing. Groruddalen and Søndre Nordstrand have been the Labor Party’s power base in the capital for decades. As recently as 2015, the party received nearly half the vote.
Now the unthinkable is about to happen. Borgerlige Høyre is no longer the largest in the West. They are also larger in the east.
– We foreigners feel it in the economy. You go to the store and shop and all the items go up in price. You also have electricity. Taxes and duties are also important. Everything affects the family’s finances, says Cottswill, who has lived in Stovner for ten years.
Last week he got Arina Amir at the door. The 18-year-old has started campaigning for Stovner Hoyer. He may become the youngest member of the City Council in the fall. He observes a big difference in the reception the party gets in the district.
– When we hand out brochures at subway stations, almost everyone accepts them. There were areas we didn’t dare to go before. Now we are also welcome there, says Amir.
He believes that the Labor party’s slogan from the 2021 elections has contributed to the political transformation of the Valley.
– “Now it’s the turn of the common man,” they said before the election. People voted for them then and now common people are fighting more than ever.
Amir, many people in the district are very concerned about the residents’ parking space. The right wants to make it free in the outer city.
Something happened in 2019
– Groruddalen has long been one of the best areas in the whole country for the Labor Party. This is a very important voter base for them, says election analyst Johannes Berg.
She points to two factors. It is a working class area. Now it is an area with a significant immigrant population. Both have mostly voted for Ap.
– Something happened in the 2019 election. The app has lost many voters. Many of them went to the dole party, says Berg.
The opposition party, now known as the People’s Party, was barely visible in Oslo’s election this year. But the missing voters returned in April.
Depending on the car
Gamle Stovner is a part of Groruddalen where there are detached houses and terraced houses.
Trim Broderud lived here all his life. A first-time voter is undecided about who his vote will be.
However, he has no doubts about what he thinks of the new residents’ parking.
– It’s funny.
– Pay more than 3,000 per year for parking. It has never been like this before. No problem on the street. That would be just stupid, says the 18-year-old.
He depends on the car to maximize his leisure time.
– Then I can go back and forth instead of sitting on the bus for an hour, says Broderud.
He believes that the public transport system is designed for those who live in the center of Oslo.
Transition among immigrants
People’s attitude towards cars contributed greatly to the outcome of the 2019 election in Krorudalan. Customs made the election.
Poll analyst Berg says many of the party’s voters are elderly people from minority backgrounds.
Immigrants tend to vote Labour. Aamir now sees a change there. His grandparents moved from Pakistan to work in Norway.
Amir believes that many of them felt that loyalty to Gro Harlem Brundtland and the Labor Party was important. It’s a kind of thank you for allowing families to move to Norway.
– Now in the third and fourth generation, that’s going to change. You no longer need to return to Ap. They don’t have perfect solutions. Amir says many people with immigrant backgrounds worry about lower taxes and the opportunities their parents didn’t have.
Less confusing
Lars Granvold is the third generation in Stovner. He is not surprised that the Valley is now changing its political complexion.
– The people I grew up with, we were working class. But now we see that this side of town’s policy of helping everyone has taken its toll on those who struggled before. I don’t know if this is Labor’s fault or not.
– In what way do you mean that?
– I’m thinking about the increased costs of taxes and fees and everything. It’s a package that has everything, and everything comes at a high price. People are less concerned, he says.
Huge, but not necessarily powerful
But while many now say they will vote for the Conservative Party in Oslo, it is far from certain that the party will take power. Norstat’s poll for Aftenposten shows right and left right.
Researcher Berg says that Høyre’s support parties do very poorly in surveys.
– And he says this is not enough to get a majority.
City Councilor Raymond Johansson (Ap) collaborates with several parties that do well.
– SV, MDG and Rødt are strong in Oslo, especially among young voters and in areas close to the city center, Berg says.
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