The Government of Centroiz left on Monday revalidated its triumph in the legislative elections, despite losing support regarding the 2021 elections and the rise in the Progress Party (FRP).
Scriptive 99 % of the votes, the center -left obtained 49.3 % compared to 46.4 % of the right, which, translated into seats, represents 89 by 80, a comfortable distance but far from the result of four years ago, when there were more than 30 seats apart.
The Labor Party was the most voted force with 28.2 %, almost two more points, a modest rise but that is a considerable improvement with respect to the polls of just over half a year ago, when it was not even the formation with more support.
The surprise decision of Norwegian policy, taken last spring, to appoint the minister and former secretary general of NATO, at the head of the Ministry of Finance has resulted in a success.
During the campaign, the prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre has insisted on his desire to govern in a minority and alone, as he did the last months after the rupture of the coalition with the centrist party, looking for support of these and the socialist left.
But now it will be necessary to reach agreements with the other two forces of the block, both the greens and the ex -communists of red, with which he maintains disagreements on issues such as the future of oil exploitation or fiscal policy.
“We had put on a goal, win the elections and that the Labor Party continued to rule. We knew that it was going to be hard and matched and it was, so it is fantastic to be here with you and say that we have achieved it,” said Støre at the Labor Electoral Party.
Støre highlighted the management of his government despite the challenges of the last legislature in the form of Pandemia, War and Commercial Crisis and pointed out among the priorities of his next Executive a responsible economic policy, more employment, cutting the waiting lists in health and increasing investment in defense.
Xenophobic alert
The 24 % obtained in the elections represents the best result of the history of the FRP, which exceeds 22.9 % achieved in 2009 with SIV Jensen as leader. After three elections in a row, losing support, the FRP not only doubles its result, but again the conservative party as a hegemonic force in the right -wing block.
With a program based on a hard line in immigration and safety and favorable to fiscal sales, the FRP has taken advantage of the charism of its leader, Sylvi Listhaug, and has benefited from the wear of the conservatives of the former Minister Erna Solberg, in whose governments he occupied that several wallets last decade.
“It is absolutely fantastic. We have made the best elections in history and I am very satisfied,” said Listhaug, who lamented the “historical turn” to the left in Norway and the “four hard years” that wait for the country, although he promised a tough opposition and a triumph in 2029.
“It’s absolutely fantastic. We have made the best elections in history and I am very satisfied.”
Sylvi Listhaug, Líder del Frp
The great result of the FRP confirms however a constant that has already happened in 1997, 2005 and 2009: when it is the most voted force on the right, it always loses the elections.
For the conservative party, 14.6 % is just half a point better than the worst result in its history, in 2005, Erna Solberg’s first elections as leader.
After two decades at the head of the Norwegian conservatives and two legislatures as Prime Minister, Solberg has not felt good for the last four years in the opposition and his future as the leader of the party seems very complicated.
“We were trapped in the clamp between the Labor and the FRP. It was a difficult clamp for us and we complicated us to convince the voters,” said “very sad” Solberg, after calling Støre to congratulate him for victory.
Great setback of centrists and increases by excommunists and green
Apart from the conservatives, the other force that experiences a clear setback is the centrist party, which loses more than half of its support until it falls to 5.7 %.
The other ally also goes back, although in this external case, the Labor Legislature: The Socialist Left Party drops two points to 5.5 %.
Two other forces of the center -left block improved their result: Red rose half a point to 5.3 % and green, several tenths up to 4.6 %.
The two smaller forces of the right -wing block had opposite results: while the Cristianodemocratas achieved 4.2 %, uploading a few tenths, the liberals stayed at 3.6 %, below the minimum barrier of 4 %, although they could achieve two seats for their good result in several districts.
For months, the polls pointed to an equalized end between the two blocks, but the center -left began to distance himself the last week and the last surveys pointed to a triumph for between 8 and 10 seats.
The electoral campaign has been marked by issues such as high prices, especially food, fiscal policy, housing price or the possible elimination of equity tax.
Electoral participation exceeded 78 %, a percentage point more than in 2021.
