Norvegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere has won a tight election despite a cabinet row and a rebellion within his own party, Reuters reports.
Stoere’s first term in office has been marked by high inflation and rising interest rates, which have pushed up the cost of living, and several ministers have resigned over tax evasion, stock trading and ethics violations.
While polls have shown the Labour party’s popularity slipping, Stoere has weathered the challenges by reshuffling her cabinet and appointing former NATO Secretary General and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg as Norway’s finance minister.
The cabinet reshuffle also saw the departure of the largely rural Centre Party from the government and happened during the re-election of US President Donald Trump. This has focused many voters’ attention on foreign policy and security issues.
Born into a wealthy family and educated in France at the University of Po, his rise to leadership of the Labour Party in 2014 was a surprise move, as the party is traditionally associated with working-class people. Although he initially considered joining the Conservative Party, he joined the Labour Party shortly before turning 30. Unlike many of the party’s top politicians, he has not worked in the youth wing of a political party.
Stoere has also worked for the World Health Organization,
and in 2010, as foreign minister in Stoltenberg’s government, he managed to broker a deal with Russia over a four-decade-long maritime border dispute in the Arctic. Stoere then also served as Minister of Health.
In 2017, the Labour Party suffered a defeat in the elections, but four years later it won a clear majority. At that time, tax breaks for low- and middle-income families and cuts in public service costs were promised.
Meanwhile, inflation in Norway reached 7.5% at the end of 2022, and the Central Bank’s interest rate on loans reached 4.5% – a level last seen in 2008, during the economic crisis.
Although the election results are favorable for his party, Stoere’s potential government still depends on four small left-wing parties, which means that forming a government will be more difficult.
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