In Norway, the left wins the legislative elections and returns to power – archyde

The left-wing opposition led by Labor Jonas Gahr Store won on Monday, September 13 in Norway legislative elections dominated by the fate of the country’s oil activities.

“We waited, we hoped and we worked so hard, and now we can finally say it: we did it! “said Store, the likely next prime minister, after eight years of right-wing rule.

The five opposition parties are expected to win 100 of the 169 seats in the Storting, Norway’s unicameral parliament, enough to oust the coalition of conservative Erna Solberg, according to projections. With 89 mandates so far, Labor seems even on its way to securing an absolute majority with their favorite allies, the Center Party and the Socialist Party, without needing the other two opposition forces, the Party’s environmentalists. environment and the Greens (MdG) and the Communists of Rodt, with whom Mr. Store still said he was determined to discuss.

Prime Minister admits defeat

“Norway has sent a clear message: the elections show that the Norwegian people want a fairer society”, said the 61-year-old millionaire who campaigned against social inequalities.

The five Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden – bastions of social democracy, should soon all be led by the left.

“The Conservative Party’s work in government is over for this time around”, admitted M Solberg at the helm since 2013, a record for the right. “I would like to congratulate Jonas Gahr Store who, at this time, seems to have a clear majority to change the government”, added the 60-year-old leader, victim of a usury of power after having led the country through multiple crises (migrants, fall in the price of the barrel, Covid-19…).

If it is confirmed, this absolute three-way majority will facilitate negotiations to form a coalition government, which nevertheless promise to be long and delicate. MDG had conditioned its support on the immediate end of oil exploration in the country, the largest exporter of hydrocarbons in Western Europe, an ultimatum rejected by Mr. Store. The latter advocates – like his conservative opponents – a gentle and gradual exit from the oil economy.

The oil sector represents 14% of gross domestic product

THE’“Red alert for humanity” launched in early August by United Nations climate experts (IPCC) placed the issue of global warming at the heart of the electoral campaign and forced the kingdom to reflect on the fate of the oil activities which made it immensely rich. The report galvanized those on the left and, to a lesser extent, on the right, wanting to end oil.

The petroleum sector accounts for 14% of Norwegian gross domestic product (GDP), more than 40% of exports and 160,000 direct jobs. Black gold has also enabled the kingdom of 5.4 million inhabitants to amass the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world with nearly 12,000 billion crowns of assets (1,175 billion euros).

A graduate of Sciences Po Paris and Minister of Jens Stoltenberg between 2005 and 2013, Mr. Store will now have to engage in thorny negotiations with the Center Party, which mainly defends the interests of the rural world, and the Socialist Party, more concerned environmental issues.

These allies, who once ruled together under Mr. Stoltenberg, have often opposing positions, especially on the urgency to emerge from the oil age, and the centrists of Trygve Slagsvold Vedum have said during the campaign that they do not want to sit with the Socialist Party of Audun Lysbakken.