Labour Party branches in Levanger and Verdal move to exclude Ingvild Kjerkol from candidate lists

Local branches of the Labour Party (Ap) in Levanger and Verdal have taken steps to exclude former Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol from their candidate lists. So far, only Stjørdal Ap has supported her candidacy for the top position on the parliamentary list from Nord-Trøndelag Labour Party. During a meeting of Steinkjer Ap on Thursday evening, Kjerkol’s name was notably absent from the list of candidates.

“The majority of members chose not to include her name on the list. We had quite a divided meeting, almost evenly split,” said Kristian Hovd Sjøli, the leader of Steinkjer Ap.

Despite this setback, Sjøli noted that the nomination process within the Nord-Trøndelag Labour Party is still ongoing and no final decisions have been made. “There is still a thorough process to be conducted by the nominations committee, which will consider the suggestions coming from the various local parties,” he explained. When asked if Kjerkol’s chance of candidacy was completely closed, he replied, “No, I wouldn’t say the door is closed. Absolutely not. We are still early in a long process.”

In Namsos Ap, Deputy Leader of Trøndelag Ap, Amund Hellesø, has been proposed as the top candidate after Thursday’s meeting, with Kjerkol again absent from the candidate list. Other local branches of Ap in Inderøy and Nærøysund also held nomination meetings, with their top candidates yet to be confirmed for the upcoming parliamentary election.

Sjøli praised Kjerkol for her capabilities and achievements as a politician, emphasizing the need for new candidates to energize the campaign and engage voters.