NORWAY: POLITICS - Norwegians go to the polls on Monday in an election that is likely to see a change in government shifting

Record ID: 531260

  • Title: NORWAY: POLITICS - Norwegians go to the polls on Monday in an election that is likely to see a change in government shifting
  • Date: 8th September 2013
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Norwegian) ESKIL LORLAANG SAYING: "I think it's been pretty hypocritical but SV (Socialist Left Party) have tried to do something good and they should get some credit for trying. They have an honest wish to make things better but in the end it became more important to be in government than to stand up for their principles." VARIOUS OF PARLIAMENT BUILDING NOR
  • Embargoed: 23rd September 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Norway
  • Country: Norway
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA6ASA1V9EALIJYE42OOI08MNNS
  • Story Text: Conservative Erna Solberg seems likely to emerge as prime minister from Monday's Norwegian elections on promises to cut taxes, improve health care and sell off some oil assets, but may be forced into a tricky alliance with a populist anti-immigration party.
    Solberg seems set to become prime minister on her third attempt after steering her party closer to the centre.
    Breaking with Conservative tradition, she did not focus her campaign on issues like tax cuts and easing regulation, instead making health care, road building and education her primary topics.
    Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, from the Labour party, guided Norway through a global downturn with little more than a scratch. But growth is slowing, his record on health care is mixed and critics accuse him of squandering the oil revenues that have shielded Norway.
    Some polling stations were already open on Sunday (September 8).
    Oystein Kristofferson from Oslo hoped for change.
    "I can tell you what I hope will change and that is, a more business friendly climate," he said.
    Eskil Lorlaang said he thought the whole campaign had been hypocritical.
    "I think it's been pretty hypocritical but SV (Socialist Left Party) have tried to do something good and they should have credit for trying. They have an honest wish to make things better but in the end it became more important to be in government than to stand up for their principles," he said of the Socialist Left Party that has been Stoltenberg's coalition partner.
    "I hope there can be some change and I think it's good to have something new," Turi Fossen said outside the polling station at the City Hall.
    Ole Gorulfsa, who is a councillor for the Conservative Party, said everything would be better if there was a change in government.
    "I think we'll have new possibilities and new ideas - everything will be better," he said.
    Political scientist Johannes Bergh said that although Stoltenberg was popular, Norwegians wanted change.
    "Stoltenberg is pretty popular, he seems to be doing well, the Norwegian economy is doing well, Norway in general seems to be doing well, but voters are looking for something new I think. In fact, the fact that we're doing so well is one of the reasons people think that now might be a good time to make a change. We're not in the middle of a crisis, we're not in the middle of a difficult situation of some sort, so maybe this is the right time to try something new and to make a change. I think that is what is happening in this election," he said.
    Opinion polls suggest Solberg, an admirer of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, would need the support of smaller parties, raising the prospect that the populist Progress Party, which wants to restrict immigration, could hold the balance of power.
    "It looks like we're going to have a change in government, what is not clear is which parties will have the majority in parliament. So we have four different central-right parties and we what the distribution of votes will be between those parties is somewhat unclear. The biggest party is the Conservative party - Hoyre - with its leader Erna Solberg. It's going to be the biggest party on the centre-right side, Solberg is probably going to be the next party but that's the only thing that's clear at this point," Bergh said.
    Polls give Stoltenberg's Labour around 30 per cent, making it the biggest single party.
    If they manage to form a coalition, opposition parties, all of whom campaign on unseating the government, are on course for at least a 10-seat majority in parliament.
    While Progress may get fewer votes than four years ago, it may enter government for the first time if the centre-right wins, marking another big step for populist anti-immigration parties after gains in Sweden, Finland and Denmark. Progress itself however has moderated its tone and could make more concessions to enter government.
    Long seen by some as too radical for government, the Progress Party once had among its members Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in 2011 in a gun and bomb attack targeting Labour.
    Bergh said the attack and its aftermath had not played a role in the campaign.
    "It was a big topic about one year ago, but we had a report that really criticised the government for mishandling security, for mishandling the infrastructure around security in the country so it was a big issue one year ago in which the government was criticised but in the campaign it hasn't been much of an issue," he said.
    The Progress Party has toned down its image. But some of its more radical stances on immigration and spending may be too much to swallow for the small Christian Democrats and Liberals, whose vote may be needed for a majority.
    Working with Progress on immigration could be hard after the party unveiled plans to cut immigration from outside the EU by half and reduce the number of asylum seekers it accepts.
    Although net immigration is high, swelling Norway's population by 1 per cent each year, unemployment is below 3 per cent and companies desperately need fresh workers.
    Bringing all four disparate opposition parties into a coalition may be too hard, raising the prospect that Solberg would rule in a minority government - not unusual in Norway due in part to laws that do not allow for early elections.
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