According to sources, there is potential for drama ahead of Sunday's nomination meeting in Pajala. The proposal ahead of the meeting lists Susann Nilsson from Tärendö as the top candidate. Second on the list is Andreas Kostenniemi, who is chairman of the Pajala S association, which is said to be pushing for a merger between the Social Democrats and the breakaway party Framtid S.
The current status of that proposed merger is not known. That faction within S has mobilized throughout the previous year, and ahead of last year's annual meeting, the number of members doubled. Since then, it has been turbulent at many meetings.
In the autumn, it nearly came to physical altercations when a member claimed he had been threatened by the meeting's chairman. P4 Norrbotten reported on the incident where a member claimed he had been threatened by the meeting's chairman, but the specific threats made and the identity of the chairman are unclear. One person who has already decided to step down is municipal councilor Birgitta Rantatalo.
Birgitta Rantatalo stepped in as recently as July 2024 after the entire municipal board was dismissed following the scandal with expensive consultants in the social administration. SVT Norrbotten is seeking Birgitta Rantatalo for a comment, but her reason for stepping down and her response are not yet known.