Norway: citizens going to the polls on 13 September. Appeal by Bishop Eidsvig to exercise right to vote

Norway will go to the polls on 13 September to elect the 169 members of the Storting, the unicameral Parliament that remains in office for four years. At present, a minority coalition supports the government led by Prime Minister Erna Solberg, who is also the leader of the Conservative Party (Hoyre). The centre-right coalition (Hoyre-Progress Party) created in the wake of the 2017 election was then extended to the Liberal Party (Venstre) and to the Christian Democrats (KrF). Due to a row over the issue of migration, the Progress Party subsequently left the coalition, which continued to govern in minority. While showing a fragmented political landscape and many undecided voters, the surveys seem to point to a change in government, even if many in the country think that Prime Minister Solberg has managed the pandemic well. As Norway is Europe’s second-largest oil and gas supplier, the energy transition is a crucial issue in the electoral campaign. And since Norwegians who wish to do so can already vote remotely since 10 August, 25% have already taken advantage of this opportunity, the official election website valg.no announced today. In the run-up to the election day, Bishop Bernt I. Eidsvig of Oslo issued a video message urging “everyone to exercise their right to vote, especially young people”. It is a “civil right” to “choose who will be in government for the next years and which political orientations will guide the decisions to be made”.
Sarah Numico