Conservatives declare victory in Norwegian election

There were celebrations on Tuesday for Prime Minister Erna Solberg as her Conservative Party declared victory in Norway’s parliamentary election. Her narrow win over a Labour-led opposition is historic since no Conservative-led government has managed to retain power power in an election since 1985.

#Norway | tv2norge exit poll: Centre-right bloc wins pic.twitter.com/h5yMUWc96P— Electograph (Electograph) September 11, 2017


Addressing her supporters Solberg said: “That message from the voters warms our hearts. We have shown that we deliver what we promise. We have had the stamina to stand for policies that look forward, the guts to make reforms, because it is necessary if we want to maintain the welfare in the future in this country”.

At his party’s HQ, Labour leader Jonas Gahr Stoere conceded defeat to his supporters. His idea of tax hikes to fund better public services did resonate with voters – in fact Labour are set to win the most seats in parliament – but he is unlikely to be able to reach agreement with other leftist parties to form a majority.

The Conservatives have vowed to cut taxes in a bid to boost growth. Solberg’s supporters see her as a someone with the same qualities and no-nonsense management style as German Chancellor Angela Merkel. They see as a safe pair of hands to manage Norway’s sovereign wealth fund built on offshore oil and gas reserves and worth almost a trillion euros.