The ruling coalition led by Norway’s Labour Party has secured a majority in parliament following parliamentary elections, with 100% of the vote counted, NRK reported.
The coalition led by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has secured 88 seats—85 are needed for a majority. The Labour Party has won the majority of votes.
Despite the left’s victory, the vote showed a further shift to the right among conservative voters, with the populist, anti-immigration Progress Party of 47-year-old Sylvi Listhaug showing its best result in the history of the election.
Former Prime Minister Erna Solberg’s Conservative Party came in third, but this is its worst result in 20 years. The right-wing forces together secured 81 seats.
“Now the Labor Party government continues to rule,” commented Jonas Gahr Støre on Tuesday night.
Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg conceded defeat and said, “We can already say that the Conservative Party begins a new term in the Storting as an opposition force.”
As reported, the government coalition collapsed in Norway in the winter due to the withdrawal of the Center Party, which expressed its disagreement with the implementation of the EU’s energy policy.
Before the collapse of the coalition, the government was extremely unpopular among Norwegians: Labor was predicted to receive a catastrophic 16.8% of support—the worst figure in the party’s history.
However, Støre managed to reverse this trend. In particular, one of his most successful decisions was to invite Jens Stoltenberg to the post of Finance Minister as soon as he finished his term as NATO Secretary General.
Stoltenberg’s popularity added political points to Labor, which began to rapidly regain lost positions in the polls. The media called his return to Norwegian politics “Stoltenback,” assessing the impact on Labor’s electoral support.
The Progress Party, which came second in the elections, opposes migration from non-Christian countries, calls for tightening the conditions for obtaining citizenship, and reducing taxes. The party is also characterized by skepticism about climate change.
However, in matters of support for Ukraine and assessments of the threat from Russia, the Progress Party’s position differs significantly from that of the European far right. The “Progressives” advocate continued support for Ukraine and also support an increase in Norway’s defense spending.
