They have been opponents of the project from the beginning, but three months before the municipal election, the members of the Venstre and Conservative parties on the Samsø municipal council flip-flopped and now support the fast ferry connecting Samsø with Aarhus.
As recently as last autumn, the two bourgeois parties thundered against the route, which they wanted to shut down as early as January 1 this year, citing that Samsø Rederi had a million-dollar deficit in 2023. The proposal was voted down, and now Venstre and the Conservatives have changed their stance on the fast ferry.
“You could say we’ve flipped, but we’re not in office to be popular—we’re here to safeguard the island’s interests. We choose to take a new position because it’s what’s best for the island. I can no longer see any benefit in taking the ferry out of service,” says Venstre’s mayoral candidate on Samsø, Anita E.H. Olesen, to TV 2 Østjylland.
Speaking to the TV station, the Conservative member of the Samsø municipal council, Peter Askjær, states that they also no longer want the ferry route closed.
Venstre justifies the surprising shift by stating that the projected passenger numbers have now been adjusted and are more realistic.
The island’s mayor, Marcel Meijer (S), who has fought for the Aarhus route from the start, says of the U-turn:
“I’m glad they’ve come to their senses and can see all the benefits of having this connection. But I do wonder why they were so opposed last year when the budget was being negotiated,” he tells TV 2 Østjylland.
With the bourgeois parties’ changed stance, all parties on the municipal council now back the fast ferry route with the Lilleøre ferry.
-emte
