NO Norwegian parliament elections 2017

[Second Summer]

The Norwegian parliament elections are on 11. September. The parliament has 169 seats. The incumbent government is a minority coalition consisting of Høyre (The Right) and Fremskrittspariet (The Progress Party) which occupy the spaces on the right and far right, respectively, in the parliament. This minority coalition is supported by two smaller parties, Kristelig Folkeparti (The Christian People's Party, which is a Christan democratic party) and Venstre (The Left, which is a socially liberal, fiscally more moderate party) through a formal agreement which gives the government a parliament majority whenever they can all agree.

The main opposition party is Arbeiderpartiet (The Workers' Party, which is the labour party). Other parties in parliament are: SV (the socialist left), MDG (the greens), SP (the farmers' party). There's also the Communists party (Rødt) which is not unlikely to get one of the parliament seats, and several others which probably won't get enough votes for a seat.

Recent polls were bad news for the opposition, with the labour party losing support.

 

[Mischief]

How do "right" and "far right" in Norway compare to the use of those terms in the U.S.?

 

[Second Summer]

How do "right" and "far right" in Norway compare to the use of those terms in the U.S.?

The Right party is maybe comparable to the conservative part of the U.S. Democratic party whereas the so-called Progress Party is similar to the U.S. Republican party, except they are perhaps slightly less small-government and less fiscally conservative. There are smaller fringe parties too that are even more conservative, but they have virtually no support.

 

[Second Summer]

The electoral system for the Norwegian parliament can be explained as a multiparty system with proportional representation from multi-seat constituencies (counties). Each county has been allocated a certain number of seats based on population size.

The parliamentarians are elected for four-year terms, and Parliament can't be dissolved during a term.

A person can vote in the year they're 18 even if they're not yet 18 at the time of the election.

 

[Second Summer]

Each county has been allocated a certain number of seats based on population size.

Slight correction: it's based on population size and area size. Still, the largest county (Finnmark) has one of the smallest numbers of seats (5), and the smallest county (Oslo) had the most seats (19).

In addition to the 150 seats allocated from counties, there are 19 leveling seats a.k.a. adjustment seats (so, 1 for each of the 19 counties). These are given to parties that didn't get quite enough votes for a seat in a county, but that did get enough nationwide for a seat. This arrangement helps minimize the number of "wasted" votes. This is a particularity in the Scandinavian countries, Iceland, and the Bundestag in Germany. However, in Norway only parties that get more votes than the exclusion threshold are given access to the pool of leveling seats. This percentage is set to 4%.

 

[Second Summer]

My personal dilemma is which of the parties with which I sympathize do I think will get above the exclusion threshold? In my home county, neither of my preferred parties are at all likely to get a seat, so my vote will be 'wasted' unless the party for which I vote manages to get above the exclusion threshold nationwide (and thereby qualify for competing for the leveling seats). Polls are all over the place for the smaller parties, and it's only four weeks left before the election!

 

[Mischief]

The Right party is maybe comparable to the conservative part of the U.S. Democratic party whereas the so-called Progress Party is similar to the U.S. Republican party, except they are perhaps slightly less small-government and less fiscally conservative. There are smaller fringe parties too that are even more conservative, but they have virtually no support.

That's pretty much in line with what I would have assumed.

 

[Second Summer]

Several polls have been promising for the greens, indicating they may get above the exclusion threshold. So I'm leaning that way.

I'm concerned that a Labour-led government will almost certainly be a coalition with SP, the farmers' party, which is bad news for both wild and domestic animals. Whereas a Right-led government, which is what we currently have, will almost certainly include the partly climate-change denying so-called Progress party. To their credit, though, the Progress party has championed special police units to combat crimes against animals, and at this point such units have been established in 3 police districts, so far only as a test project. It's not clear what fate this will meet under a Labour / Farmers party coalition.

 

[Second Summer]

I've just posted my ballot! With a tracking number. You wouldn't believe how much effort was required: I had to use my own envelopes (3 in total) and a piece of paper, and write all the information on there by hand, and then pray I didn't make any mistakes. I really hope Internet-based voting becomes a reality before the next election!

 

[Mikkel]

I'm planning to vote next week, as I'm working on the election day and don't want to bother stand in queue that day.

I'm always voting on the main election, but I have to admit I don't always vote on the minor election, as I have moved a lot and been on the move again around election. If I'm living in Sarpsborg example, voting what best in Oppegård isn't my interest at all.

I think I have choosen what to vote for this year. I'm not a left or a right side person, or true to any party. I vote for what I think will be best for the next four years, or if they are lying about working for a case I'm really into (yeah, I really trust politicans. ). Sometimes, I wished it was possible to vote on cases and not parties.

My FB feed is full of politics now, and of cause with that, racism, hate and lies. The leader of the Party Rødt (Red, quite far left) had published a sad story about a man that didn't get the treatment he needed and died, and blamied the policitics and that it was private owened place, but everyone know such stories happens from places that is gouverment owned too.

There are good things about all parties, and bad things with all. And we all know that they promise more than they are interested in keeping after the election.

 

[Second Summer]

Today is the day! Although I expect a lot of people have already voted ahead of time.

The elections explained:
Norway’s election takes place today. Here are 7 questions answered

 

[Second Summer]

This election is a major disappointment from my point of view. With almost 80% of the votes counted, it looks like the sitting government will remain seated, although both parties in the coalition have lost some support. The government's two support parties have also lost support, to the point where they're close to falling below the exclusion threshold. They just haven't lost enough.

It seems the reds (communists) managed to get a parliament seat, and the socialist left gains 4 seats, so that's something.

 

[Mikkel]

I'm not happy with the results either. I was hoping for a change too.

Here I live, a nazi group was at the City Hall when the election locals opened on Sunday. I think they want to try to prevent people to vote.

 

[Second Summer]

Here's a fairly well-written analysis of the election that puts the result into a larger perspective:

The centre-left failed in getting rid of the so-called ‘blue-blue’ government at the parliamentary elections in Norway on 11 September. The Labour Party was the main loser, while small parties on the centre-left advanced slightly. However, the parliamentary basis of the right-wing government has started to unravel. A deeper political crisis may be looming in the background, while social contradictions are on the raise. Social Democracy followed the general European downward tendency (except Britain).

Neither did the party come up with a credible policy against the undermining of labour market regulations, which to a high degree is promoted by the increasingly authoritarian, neoliberal European Union. This is a policy which in Norway is being implemented through the European Economic Area (EEA), an agreement which is strongly supported by the Labour Party.

More: Norwegian Elections: Another Right-Wing Victory, and a Serious Labour Defeat (28. September 2017)
I suppose 'identity politics' (as mentioned elsewhere in this article) includes immigration and its role in politics. Social democracy's failure to respond convincingly to this challenge is in my opinion a major contributor to its downward trend.