Norwegians will go to the polls on the 7th and 8th of September to elect a new parliament, in a fierce race between the left and the far right, Reuters reports.
The centre-left parties, represented by the Labour Party, the Communist Party, the Centre Party and the Greens, are on course to win 87 seats, just two more than the minimum required for a majority.
The main issues in the election campaign have included the cost of living, taxation and public services. The outcome could affect energy supplies to Europe and the management of Norway’s sovereign wealth fund. Geopolitical issues have also played a major role this time. Experts say this could benefit the current prime minister, the leader of the Labour Party, Jonas Gahr Stoere. He has also previously served as foreign minister and presents himself as a reliable stalwart. Political researcher Johannes Bergh said that, given the unstable global situation,
the Labor Party benefits from the support of the current government,
and it also has a good reputation when it comes to monitoring the economy.
The return to power of US President Donald Trump has caused concern in society, and Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is also not allowing it to relax. The economy of the 5.6 million-strong nation is based on exports and it shares a border with Russia in the Arctic. Some 59% of Norwegians believe that a new armed conflict could break out in Europe in the next decade, up from 55% last year.
The Labor Party’s ratings have also been boosted by Søre’s decision in February to bring back former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to politics as finance minister. Stoltenberg is a friend and ally of Søre, and one of Norway’s most popular politicians, having served three terms as prime minister.
The Labor Party currently looks set to win 26.5% of the vote.
The Conservative Party of former right-wing Prime Minister Erna Solberg has called for public sector reforms and the scrapping of a “wealth tax” that the party says is unfair to business.
However, as elsewhere in Europe, support for populist right-wing parties is growing. Polls suggest the Progress Party could win 22% of the vote, significantly more than the Conservative Party’s 14.5%.
Jonas Stein, an associate professor at the University of Tromsø, said the Progress Party had successfully identified and exploited the hype surrounding public spending.
Given how fierce the election race is, the final result could depend on the five smaller parties, which in turn means voters who are concerned about specific issues, such as the situation in Gaza or climate change, have a greater influence. Bergh said that even very small changes in the space of a few days can determine the outcome of the election.
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