Norway: Labour loses first local election in 99 years to right-wing

Two Norwegian opposition parties, the national-conservative Progress Party (FrP) and the centre-right Høyre (H) party of former Prime Minister Erna Solberg, won Monday’s local elections in Norway, denying the centre-left Labour victory for the first time in 99 years.

Høyre increased its local election vote share from 20.1% to 25.9%; the Progress Party jumped 3.1 points to 11.4%. Among the smaller parties, the right-wing Industry and Business Party (INP) market its first electoral success by winning 3.0% and establishing itself as a new player in the political landscape.

The election was an acid test for the national minority government, made up of Labour and the agrarian Centre Party, and both lost ground.

Labour, the party of Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, declined by 3.1 points to 21.7%. It was the first time in 99 years that Labour did not become the strongest party in a Norwegian local election.

The Centre Party (Sp), challenged in its appeal to rural voters by the Industry and Business Party, crashed 6.2 points to only 8.2% – in line with their election results in the 2000s.

The electoral setback, which does not affect the national parliament, complicates Labour’s position but Prime Minister Stoere has vowed to continue to lead his minority coalition government.

The other parties remained fairly stable. The Greens (MDG) got 4.1% (-2.7), the left-wing SV won 6.8% (+0.7), the liberal Venstre (V) party won 5.0% (+1.1), the Christian Democrats (KrP) stagnated at 4.0%, the far-left Red (R) party won 3.5% (-0.3), and the Pensioners’ Party won 1.5% (+0.4). Other parties remained below 1%.

Høyre and the Christian Democrats are both part of the conservative European People’s Party. The Social Democrats belong to the Party of European Socialists.

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]