Norwegian election: Labor Party wins amid populist right-wing surge

With a turnout of 78,9%, the highest participation rate recorded since 1989, Norway’s parliamentary election became a close-fight between the two blocks; center-left and right. 

The biggest winner is the populist Progress party which more than doubled its share of votes from 12,3% in 2021 to 23,9% this year. That, however, didn’t shift the power-balance in the Parliament, since the Conservative Party was down 5,7% to 14,6% and the Liberal party only got 3,6%.

See the Election Directorate for the final results. 

The Labor party got 28,2%, up 1,9% from the last election and will be the largest group in the Parliament. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will, however, depend on support from the Centre party, the Red party, the Socialist Left party and the Green party in order to form a government. 

The latter more than doubled its number of seats from 3 to 7 and it is the first time the Green party crossed the electoral threshold.

Polls before the election showed that it was especially young men that supported the populist progress right-wing party. The election campaign was dominated by questions about taxes, the rising costs of living and other domestic spending. 

The right-wing Progress party gained support for its anti-immigration policies and by promising to cancel state funding for battery factories, wind mills and other renewable energy subsidies. 

The parties to the left of Støre's Labor party have demanded higher taxes for the wealthy and more support for low-income people. 

The Greens and the Socialist Left party say no to developing new oil fields. That, however, could prove hard as there still is a big majority in the Parliament for continuation of Norway's oil drilling, including in the far northern Arctic waters of the Barents Sea. 

The severe climate crisis, the rapidly escalating war in Ukraine and Norway's relations with the European Union never made it to the top of the agenda in the election campaign.