Lead candidates surprised by attendance at municipal election debate: "YOU'D THINK IT WAS AN APHACA CONCERT"

"You'd think it was an Aphaca concert when you see the queue," said mayoral candidate Christian Budde from the Danish Liberal Party at Tuesday's municipal election debate in Stakladen. 

"When I heard there was free dinner, it made sense," Christian Budde said, who himself has a Master's degree in political science from Aarhus University. 

The queue stretched along Ringgaden, through the front door of the Student House, down the stairs to the basement, along the basement corridor, and then up the stairs by the entrance to Stakladen. 

The Student Council offered free dinner in the form of sandwiches to the first 300 attendees. Some of the first students to make their way inside and find a seat had been queuing for 45 minutes.

The fact that a municipal election debate fills Stakladen to bursting point with young students is not exactly in line with the statistics. According to a report from the Centre for Elections and Political Parties at the University of Copenhagen, voter turnout among 19-21-year-olds and 22-29-year-olds was 58.5 per cent and 53.1 per cent, respectively, in the 2021 municipal elections. 

Transport, infrastructure, staff allocations in daycare centres and health policy are some of the most prominent topics in media coverage of the local elections. Are these political issues that young students in the country's second largest municipality are interested in? Yes, according to some of the students who attended and Omnibus spoke to

"I think infrastructure is important, as I have a car myself. I'm a bit tired of the many one-way streets," said Kirstine Andersen, who is studying medicine. 

"I don't really know what to think, so I've come to hear more about the candidates' policies," said Rasmus Jensen, an engineering student. 

Roza Akkurt and Ida Sikora, friends studying to become teachers, also attended the debate and even secured seats. 

"I actually think that schools are important, and children and young people are also an important issue for me," said Ida Sikora. 

"We have both worked in a nursery, so we are interested in the conditions in daycare centres, and as students studying to become teachers, we are concerned about what is happening in schools," said Roza Akkurt.  

Before the debate, attendees had the chance to talk with the candidates from the various parties. 

There was also time to ask some of the candidates if they remembered the political issues that concern students. 

"I've never actually studied (at university, ed.), but I've been young, so I know what challenges young people face," said Michael Christensen, who is running for City Council for the Liberal Alliance. 

"I can't do anything about the Education Grant and Loan Scheme (SU), but I actually think that the other candidates and I are good at keeping national and local politics separate," Michael Christensen said. 

Conservative mayoral candidate and current Alderman for Technology and Environment, Nikolaj Bang, was also ready to mingle with the students at his table.

"Basically, I focus on people's everyday lives, and I believe that local politics is not about grand plans, but about what is happening right in front of you. That means better cycle paths and better night buses," Nicolaj Bang said. 

"I have actually been involved in halving the price of night buses. These aren't things that change the world, but they are things that make everyday life a little bit better," he added.

The rector of Aarhus University, Brian Bech Nielsen, welcomed the large crowd.

"Are you ready to vote?!" Brian Bech Nielsen asked the audience four times, turning up the enthusiasm a notch each time. 

The evening's moderator, Paul Natorp, who took part in establishing the Kaospilot degree programme, gave the candidates one minute to speak in the first round and 45 seconds in the second round. He had even brought a small bell with him, which he rang when the time was up. It was used frequently.

The debate featured almost no interruptions and a surprisingly good tone between the candidates. The first round focused on transport and mobility, while the second round focused on housing and urban space. 

Before their minute began, Paul Natorp told the candidates to leave the pork barrel politics at home.

The battle of being the youngest member of the panel quickly began. The winner was Thomas Kastrup Christensen from the Danish People's Party, who is 26 years old and in his first semester of law school. 

The second youngest member of the panel was Jonatan Svendsen from Red-Green Alliance, a candidate student in Aesthetics and Culture, who told Omnibus before the debate that he doesn’t necessarily believe that being a student gives him an advantage. 

"There are some things that students can relate to, but municipal elections are about many things," he said. 

The current mayor of Aarhus, Anders Winnerskjold (S), believes that he has a fairly good understanding of what students are thinking. He graduated from Aarhus University just a few years ago.

"I meet with people from student organisations all the time, but I also try to get around the city a lot, so I think I have a good picture of what's going on and what's important to young people," Anders Winnerskjold told Omnibus before the debate. 

However, at the beginning of the debate, he reminded everyone that he is also mayor for citizens who are younger and older than the students present.

Several of the candidates made a point of mentioning that they had once been students too.

"When I lived at Skjoldhøjkollegiet back in the day...", Thomas Medom from Socialist People’s Party began one of his arguments.

“Represent,” said an attendee quietly, as he smiled at the person next to him. 

During the debate on housing and urban spaces, Christian Budde mentioned that the best time of his student life was one of the years he lived at one of the Student Halls of Residence in the University Park after he split up with his ex-girlfriend. 

"Perhaps it also had something to do with the fact that I started seeing someone new," said Christian Budde, drawing laughter from the audience at Stakladen.

While the debate raged on about whether conditions for private car use in Aarhus Municipality should be improved or worsened, physiotherapy student Line Riber Lassen noted that there was too little discussion about conditions for cyclists in the city.

"It's very much about transport, buses and car parks, but not so much about cycle paths and the environment. I think there are far more students who take their bikes than their cars or buses, to be completely honest," she told Omnibus. 

And she was not alone in this view, because when moderator Paul Natorp opened the floor for politicians to ask the students questions, Nicolaj Bang received the following response from a student in the audience:

"So I cycle to school every day, and I cycle through the city centre, and I think there should be more cycle paths. It can feel a bit unsafe sometimes. I cycle down Bruunsgade every day, and it's perhaps a bit foolish, because there are lots of buses and cars queuing up there, and it's rarely possible to get past on your bike," he said, continuing:

"I won't admit that I sometimes cycle on the sidewalk, because I’d never do that," said the student to a laughing audience. 

"How many agree?" Paul Natorp asked the audience. 

A good portion of the audience raised their hands. Line Riber Lassen nodded in satisfaction.

Paul Natorp also asked the audience what politicians can do to make young people feel more heard.

"Come by or open the door when we knock. Even when there is no election campaign," said one student.

That's how Tuesday's debate ended. The chair of the Student Council, Daniel Hjort, concluded the debate by asking how many people in the room knew where to place their vote. 

Less than half raised their hands.

"Then perhaps it’d be a good idea to stay for a beer at the Student Bar," said Daniel Hjort, suggested to the politicians on stage.

The municipal elections will take place on Tuesday, 18 November.

This text is machine translated and post-edited by Lisa Enevoldsen.