These are completely new times when new members are to be elected to the country’s ward council on Tuesday.
As a result of a new election law, a so-called election assembly has been convened in all parishes, where the candidates can come forward, present themselves and their views and debate with other candidates before voting.
According to Søren Abildgaard, chairman of the National Association of Parish Councils, a new and good democratic framework has thus been created for the election.
– And it is also necessary, because the parish council is not just an association board. It is a public administration authority, so there must be a high degree of transparency in the election procedure.
– Everyone must have an equal opportunity to stand and be elected. We ensure this with this form, where some demands are made on the way the election process takes place, he says.
Until this year, there have been so-called agreement choices in the vast majority of places.
– With the old form, there was a possibility that the sitting parish council came up with a list, and if no one challenged it, then that list was chosen, says Søren Abildgaard.
The nearly 1,700 parish councils make up the local leadership of the People’s Church.
As a member of the parish council, you and the pastor are responsible for the administration, for the parish’s finances and for church life.
– This means that one must also relate to how services are conducted and what activities and events should be in the church.
– You also have a broader influence in the Danish National Church, because you have the right to vote for provost committees, diocesan councils and bishops. For many, however, the most important task will be to help hire the parish priest, says Søren Abildgaard.
It has been difficult before to get new members to run. However, Søren Abildgaard expects that in many places in the country there will be more candidates than must be chosen.
– But I am also aware that there are some places where it can be difficult to get enough candidates to sign up.
– Therefore, we have also from the national association’s side tried to get the parish councils better equipped to recruit candidates, he says.
Among other things, experience shows that many people respond positively to receiving a personal inquiry about why they are needed in the work of the parish council, Søren Abildgaard explains.
According to Søren Abildgaard, chairman of the National Association of Parish Councils, a new and good democratic framework has thus been created for the election.
– And it is also necessary, because the parish council is not just an association board. It is a public administration authority, so there must be a high degree of transparency in the election procedure.
– Everyone must have an equal opportunity to stand and be elected. We ensure this with this form, where some demands are made on the way the election process takes place, he says.
Until this year, there have been so-called agreement choices in the vast majority of places.
– With the old form, there was a possibility that the sitting parish council came up with a list, and if no one challenged it, then that list was chosen, says Søren Abildgaard.
The nearly 1,700 parish councils make up the local leadership of the People’s Church.
As a member of the parish council, you and the pastor are responsible for the administration, for the parish’s finances and for church life.
– This means that one must also relate to how services are conducted and what activities and events should be in the church.
– You also have a broader influence in the Danish National Church, because you have the right to vote for provost committees, diocesan councils and bishops. For many, however, the most important task will be to help hire the parish priest, says Søren Abildgaard.
It has been difficult before to get new members to stand up. However, Søren Abildgaard expects that in many places in the country there will be more candidates than must be chosen.
– But I am also aware that there are some places where it can be difficult to get enough candidates to sign up.
– Therefore, we have also from the national association’s side tried to get the parish councils better equipped to recruit candidates, he says.
Among other things, experience shows that many people respond positively to receiving a personal inquiry about why they are needed in the ward council’s work, Søren Abildgaard explains.
Source: The Nordic Page