In Frederikshavn, everything is unpredictable, after the queen abdicates.

In Frederikshavn, the outcome is uncertain after the mayor abdicated

At the latest election, Birgit S. Hansen received 40% of all votes in Frederikshavn. This time, she is not on the ballot.

Birgit S. Hansen during the campaign four years ago. She received 40% of all votes in the municipality. 31 minutes ago

For the past three municipal elections, the Social Democrats have won the mayor's post in Frederikshavn.

Or, it might be more accurate to say that Birgit S. Hansen has won the mayor's post.

This time, the mayor of Frederikshavn will not run again after a decade. And this has given her opponents hope.

There is a big difference between an opponent being the Social Democrats or Birgit S. Hansen.

- It's very open. I would express it as if the entire stage is up in the air, says the Social Democrat's mayoral candidate in Frederikshavn, Jon Andersen.

Jon Andersen from the Social Democrats is not a member of the council, but was chosen as the Social Democrat's mayoral candidate in a contested election with council member Lone Haugaard.

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'Some blue have voted red'

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The latest elections in Frederikshavn cannot be called open. In 2021, the Social Democrats won 18 out of the 29 seats on the council. And 40% of all votes were cast for Birgit S. Hansen.

And the mayoral candidate believes that many have voted for Birgit S. Hansen and not the Social Democrats.

- Birgit S. Hansen's strong figure has brought things a little out of balance. There are enough who are blue, who have voted red. I

really think we will see that it will balance out in this election campaign, says Jon Andersen.

Frederikshavn is one of the 26 municipalities where the mayor, who was elected in 2021, is not running for the mayor's post this time.

This means that 114,000 personal votes are up in the air. Experts explain that this can leave a political vacuum in the municipalities, making the elections more unpredictable.

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Voters are in doubt

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In Frederikshavn, voters are also in doubt. It is clear when DR is at a voters' meeting at Ældresagen. Here it is not hard to find people who voted for Birgit S. Hansen in the last election, but are unsure about where they will place their cross this time.

Pensioner Sven Melgaard voted for Birgit S. Hansen in the last election.

Do you know who you will vote for when she is gone?

- Not at all. No. I won't do that.

Have you made up your mind about which direction?

- No, I'm a little confused, says Sven Melgaard.

Birgit Højholt Pedersen and her husband moved to Sæby in Frederikshavn's municipality before the last election.

- We chose to vote for Birgit, so now we are very uncertain about where we will place our cross.

Why did you vote for her?

- We had heard a lot about her around, so we just hopped on the bandwagon at the time, says Birgit Højholt Pedersen, who is a pensioner.

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Votes without an owner

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Birgit S. Hansen resigned in October last year. This happened, among other things, due to the harsh tone on social media – and in the wake of threats and harassment from citizens directed at the mayor.

Her decision to leave the post also came after longer periods of criticism from various sides of the municipality's handling of the issue of Frederikshavn Harbor's cold-weather economy, but she herself did not link the issue with her resignation:

- No, when you have been mayor for 11 years, there have been both ups and downs, she said.

The new winds blowing over the North Jutland municipality have also sparked mayoral ambitions among the Socialists. Here the candidate is named Christina Lykke, and she has her sights set on 13,230 votes, which are up in the air after Birgit S. Hansen's exit.

Christina Lykke from the Socialists is also running for mayor in Frederikshavn.

- Now Birgit is no longer a part of it, so there are many votes that do not have an owner.

- It's a kind of joker in it, but at the same time I also think that we are some who can gather votes when it was a red mayor, says Christina Lykke.

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Trying to learn from the predecessor

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Social Democrat Anders Brandt Sørensen has been given the difficult task of carrying on the legacy of Birgit S. Hansen. He has previously sat on the council, but not in this election period. Therefore, he has not had the opportunity to become known among the voters as an interim mayor.

He is aware of the difficult task he faces.

- We know very well that they are not all the same, and that is also something that gives tension in Frederikshavn, he says about the votes that fell on Birgit S. Hansen at the last election, says Anders Brandt Sørensen.

He tries to learn from the success that his predecessor had.

- Birgit said things as they were, and as she saw them. And that is something that we other humbly try to imitate. To say things precisely and directly, says Anders Brandt Sørensen.

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