Ine Eriksen Søreide was elected leader of Norway's Conservative Party at 11:58 a.m. today, confirmed by applause at Gardermoen. The announcement came during the party’s national meeting, where she officially took over from former Prime Minister Erna Solberg. The celebratory moment drew much media attention, which focused on past controversies involving Søreide, including her connection to the Jeffrey Epstein case and her friendship with Mona Juul, who is now under investigation by Økokrim for serious corruption allegations. Søreide addressed repeated questions about these issues directly, stating she answers based on her memory and available knowledge. She emphasized that some matters should be handled by the ministry rather than herself personally. When asked if she feels sympathy for Juul, Søreide declined to comment, noting Juul has not been convicted and the case remains with law enforcement. She also acknowledged that her openness might lead to more media coverage linking her to these topics. Polling data released ahead of the leadership vote showed Søreide trailing significantly as a potential prime minister candidate. Only 12.7% of respondents preferred her, compared to 43.4% for Jonas Gahr Støre and 22.5% for Sylvi Listhaug. Søreide admitted building public support will take time and stressed the need for patience, team cohesion, and new policy development. She recalled Solberg’s nine-year path to becoming prime minister and joked about her own youth. Søreide expressed confidence in working with Listhaug, citing their long professional history in government and parliamentary committees. She described past collaboration with former Frp leader Siv Jensen as excellent and said current relations with Listhaug are also strong. Reiterating Solberg’s warning against chasing quick popularity, Søreide committed to leading through changing times with steady, thoughtful governance.
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