Norwegian local elections, 2011
Encyclopedia
Nationwide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway
on 12 September 2011. Several municipalities also opened the polling booths on 11 September. For most polling station
s this meant that two elections, the municipal elections
and the county elections ran concurrently. In addition, an advisory referendum was held in Aust-Agder
to determine whether to merge the county with Vest-Agder
.
Overall, the Conservative Party made the greatest gains, and the Labour Party also advanced and remained the largest party. On the other hand, the Progress Party
and the Socialist Left Party
suffered severe setbacks.
, the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development
announced that she was considering lowering the voting age from 18 to 16 in some municipalities as a trial. Three municipalities had applied for this in the 2007 election, but were turned down.
Parliament decided to give adolescents of age 16 and 17 the right to vote in selected municipalities. Of 143 applicants, 20 municipalities plus Longyearbyen
on Svalbard were selected for the trial. The municipalities taking part in the trial are:
on 22 July, which killed 77 people, most of them young supporters of the national Labour Party. On 24 July, the prime minister, the president of the Storting, and the parliamentary leaders of the political parties met for the first time to discuss rules for the political debates which would take place. Liv Signe Navarsete predicted that the election campaign would be considerably muted. On 25 July, the parliamentary leaders of the political parties agreed to delay the start of the campaign until mid-August and to cancel the school debates, because of the 22 July attacks. The school elections were, however, not cancelled.
, involving the cities Molde
and Kristiansund
which has hospitals today. The current Red-Green government postponed the planned building of a new hospital in Molde, instead considering moving vital functions to it from Kristiansund, the local population in Molde saw the postponement as a broken promise, while the locals in Kristiansund wanted a common hospital instead due to the latter issue. In early 2011, the Labour Party saw a shock opinion poll in Romsdal
(which includes the city Molde) of a mere 5.8% support, which fell further in April to 1%. The handling of the controversy by the party, and particularly its Minister of Health and Care Services, Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen
, was seen as the reason for the fall.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
on 12 September 2011. Several municipalities also opened the polling booths on 11 September. For most polling station
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
s this meant that two elections, the municipal elections
Norwegian municipal elections
In Norway, municipal elections are local elections which are held every four years to elect representatives to the municipality councils. The elections are conducted concurrently with the Norwegian county elections. The last election was held on September 10, 2007 , the next will be held in 2011...
and the county elections ran concurrently. In addition, an advisory referendum was held in Aust-Agder
Aust-Agder
is a county in Norway, bordering Telemark, Rogaland, and Vest-Agder. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which is 2.2% of the total population in Norway. Its area is . The administrative center of the county is in Arendal....
to determine whether to merge the county with Vest-Agder
Vest-Agder
In the 16th century, Dutch merchant vessels began to visit ports in southern Norway to purchase salmon and other goods. Soon thereafter the export of timber began, as oak from southern Norway was exceptionally well suited for shipbuilding...
.
Overall, the Conservative Party made the greatest gains, and the Labour Party also advanced and remained the largest party. On the other hand, the Progress Party
Progress Party (Norway)
The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist...
and the Socialist Left Party
Socialist Left Party (Norway)
The Socialist Left Party or SV, is a Norwegian left-wing political party. At one point one of the smallest parties in Parliament, it became the fourth-largest political party in Norway for the first time in the 2001 parliamentary election, and has been so ever since...
suffered severe setbacks.
Electronic voting
Electronic voting over the internet was tried out in certain areas for the first time in Norway, with the ultimate goal of implementing full general availability for internet voting for the 2017 parliamentary elections.Voting age of 16
In 2008, Magnhild Meltveit KleppaMagnhild Meltveit Kleppa
Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa is a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party. She was the Minister of Social Affairs from 1997 to 2000 and was appointed Norwegian Minister of Local Government and Regional Development on 21 September 2007. On 20 October 2009, she swapped departments and became Minister...
, the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development (Norway)
The Minister of Local Government and Regional Development is a Norwegian minister that is head of the Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development...
announced that she was considering lowering the voting age from 18 to 16 in some municipalities as a trial. Three municipalities had applied for this in the 2007 election, but were turned down.
Parliament decided to give adolescents of age 16 and 17 the right to vote in selected municipalities. Of 143 applicants, 20 municipalities plus Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen is the largest settlement and the administrative centre of Svalbard, Norway. It is located on the western coast of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago, on the southern side on Adventfjorden , which continues inland with Adventdalen...
on Svalbard were selected for the trial. The municipalities taking part in the trial are:
- MarkerMarker, NorwayMarker is a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ørje. Marker was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1964 after the merger of the two old municipalities of Rødenes and Øymark....
in Østfold - LørenskogLørenskogis a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lørenskog. Lørenskog was separated from the municipality of Skedsmo on 1 January 1908.-Name:...
in Akershus - HamarHamaris a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hamar. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849...
in Hedmark - VågåVågåVågå is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vågåmo....
in Oppland - SigdalSigdalSigdal is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Prestfoss. -Background:...
in Buskerud - ReRe, NorwayRe is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Revetal. The municipality was established in 2002 by the unification of the former municipalities of Ramnes and Våle. It includes the villages of Ramnes, Våle, Undrumsdal, Fon, Vivestad...
in Vestfold - PorsgrunnPorsgrunnis a town and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Porsgrunn....
in Telemark - GrimstadGrimstadis a town and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Grimstad. Other notable places in Grimstad include Eide, Fevik, Fjære, Landvik, Prestegårdskogen, Reddal, and Roresanden.It is...
in Aust-Agder - MandalMandalis a town and municipality in Vest-Agder county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Mandal.The town of Mandal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
in Vest-Agder - GjesdalGjesdalGjesdal is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. In the northwest the municipality borders Sandnes, to the north Forsand, to the east Sirdal, to the south Bjerkreim, and to the west Time....
and StavangerStavangerStavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
in Rogaland - AustevollAustevollAustevoll is a municipality and an archipelago in the district of Midthordland in the county of Hordaland in Western Norway, Norway. Austevoll was separated from Sund on 1 January 1886....
in Hordaland - LusterLuster, NorwayLuster is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative centre is Gaupne. Other villages include Skjolden, Hafslo, Jostedal, and Veitastrond....
in Sogn og Fjordane - ÅlesundÅlesundis a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture....
in Møre og Romsdal - OsenOsenis a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Fosen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Steinsdalen...
in Sør-Trøndelag - NamdalseidNamdalseidNamdalseid is village and a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Namdalseid. Other villages and farm areas include Sjøåsen, Statland, Tøttdalen, and Sverkmoen.The village of Namdalseid...
in Nord-Trøndelag - TysfjordTysfjordTysfjord or Divtasvuodna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Ofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kjøpsvik...
in Nordland - Gáivuotna – Kåfjord in Troms
- HammerfestHammerfestis a city and municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The municipality encompasses parts of three islands: Kvaløya, Sørøya, and Seiland. Hammerfest was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
and KautokeinoKautokeinoor Guovdageaidnu , is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino...
in Finnmark.
Election campaign
The issue of how and when the campaign would be conducted was affected by the 2011 Norway attacks2011 Norway attacks
The 2011 Norway attacks were two sequential terrorist attacks against the government, the civilian population and a summer camp in Norway on 22 July 2011....
on 22 July, which killed 77 people, most of them young supporters of the national Labour Party. On 24 July, the prime minister, the president of the Storting, and the parliamentary leaders of the political parties met for the first time to discuss rules for the political debates which would take place. Liv Signe Navarsete predicted that the election campaign would be considerably muted. On 25 July, the parliamentary leaders of the political parties agreed to delay the start of the campaign until mid-August and to cancel the school debates, because of the 22 July attacks. The school elections were, however, not cancelled.
Issues
One of the bigger issues for the local elections was a controversy about local hospitals in Møre og RomsdalMøre og Romsdal
is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...
, involving the cities Molde
Molde
is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...
and Kristiansund
Kristiansund
Kristiansund is a city and municipality on the western coast of Norway, in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal county. It was officially awarded township status in 1742, and it is still the major town for the region. The administrative center of the municipality is the city of Kristiansund...
which has hospitals today. The current Red-Green government postponed the planned building of a new hospital in Molde, instead considering moving vital functions to it from Kristiansund, the local population in Molde saw the postponement as a broken promise, while the locals in Kristiansund wanted a common hospital instead due to the latter issue. In early 2011, the Labour Party saw a shock opinion poll in Romsdal
Romsdal
Romsdal is the name of a traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal, located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre. The district of Romsdal comprises Aukra, Fræna, Midsund, Molde, Nesset, Rauma, Sandøy, and Vestnes. It is named for the valley of Romsdalen, which covers part of Rauma.The...
(which includes the city Molde) of a mere 5.8% support, which fell further in April to 1%. The handling of the controversy by the party, and particularly its Minister of Health and Care Services, Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen
Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen
Anne-Grete Hjelle Strøm-Erichsen is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.She was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Hordaland in 2005....
, was seen as the reason for the fall.
Polling
| Polling Firm | Date | Source | Labour Party Norwegian Labour Party The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway.... |
Conservative Party Conservative Party of Norway The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s... |
Progress Party Progress Party (Norway) The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist... |
Centre Party Centre Party (Norway) The Centre Party is a centrist and agrarian political party in Norway, founded in 1920. The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.From its... |
Christian Democratic Party | Socialist Left Party Socialist Left Party (Norway) The Socialist Left Party or SV, is a Norwegian left-wing political party. At one point one of the smallest parties in Parliament, it became the fourth-largest political party in Norway for the first time in the 2001 parliamentary election, and has been so ever since... |
Liberal Party | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last Election | 2007-09 | http://www.regjeringen.no/krd/html/valg2007/bks.html | 29.6% | 19.3% | 17.5% | 8.0% | 6.4% | 6.2% | 5.9% | 7.1% |
| TNS Gallup | 2010-01 | http://www.tv2nyhetene.no/innenriks/politikk/hoeyre-er-norges-stoerste-parti-3243341.html | 31.9% | 25.0% | 17.5% | 6.4% | 4.9% | 6.1% | 3.6% | 4.6% |
| TNS Gallup | 2010-07 | http://www.tv2nyhetene.no/innenriks/politikk/hoeyre-er-norges-stoerste-parti-3243341.html | 25.9% | 27.1% | 20.0% | 6.1% | 4.5% | 5.8% | 4.9% | 5.7% |
| Norfakta | 2010-09 | http://www.lla.no/nyhet.cfm?nyhetid=313003 | 27.5% | 27.4% | 18.5% | 5.8% | 5.2% | 5.3% | 5.6% | 4.7% |
| Norfakta | 2011-01 | http://www.lla.no/nyhet.cfm?nyhetid=331525 | 22.5% | 30.1% | 17.5% | 5.4% | 4.9% | 6.7% | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| TNS Gallup | 2011-02 | http://www.tv2nyhetene.no/innenriks/politikk/skedsmo-kan-bli-blaatt-for-foerste-gang-paa-100-aar-3413376.html | 28.7% | 27.4% | 16.0% | 7.7% | 4.6% | 5.3% | 5.4% | 2.7% |
| Respons | 2011-02 | http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article4028792.ece | 26.8% | 25.4% | 19.4% | 7.0% | 6.8% | 5.4% | 5.1% | 4.1% |
| TNS Gallup | 2011-03 | http://www.tv2nyhetene.no/innenriks/politikk/ny-gallupmaaling-viser-helblaatt-i-mange-storbyer-3439464.html | 26.8% | 29.3% | 16.1% | 7.6% | 5.1% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 3.9% |
| Respons | 2011-03 | http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/politikk/article4059755.ece | 28.4% | 28.7% | 17.0% | 6.8% | 4.7% | 5.7% | 5.4% | 3.3% |
| Sentio | 2011-03 | http://www.nationen.no/2011/03/21/politikk/hoyre/sentio/meningsmaling/kommunevalgmaling/6526961/ | 28.9% | 23.7% | 17.7% | 6.9% | 6.1% | 4.2% | 6.0% | 6.5% |
| TNS Gallup | 2011-04 | http://politisk.tv2.no/nyheter/na-er-arbeiderpartiet-storst-igjen/ | 28.9% | 27.0% | 15.3% | 6.4% | 4.9% | 6.5% | 5.6% | 5.4% |
| InFact | 2011-04 | http://www.dagbladet.no/2011/04/23/nyheter/politikk/innenriks/sv/venstre/16284965/ | 28.5% | 23.5% | 18.9% | 6.8% | 5.0% | 5.5% | 5.8% | 5.9% |
| Norstat | 2011-05 | http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/norge/1.7652570 | 30.6% | 28.9% | 13.6% | 6.4% | 4.6% | 4.7% | 5.5% | 5.6% |
| TNS Gallup | 2011-05 | http://politisk.tv2.no/nyheter/ny-bunn-notering-for-fremskrittspartiet/ | 27.3% | 28.1% | 15.2% | 6.6% | 5.0% | 6.5% | 5.2% | 6.0% |
| TNS Gallup | 2011-06 | http://politisk.tv2.no/nyheter/ny-bunn-notering-for-fremskrittspartiet/ | 27.0% | 31.0% | 13.2% | 5.3% | 6.9% | 6.5% | 4.9% | 5.1% |
| InFact | 2011-06 | http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/valg-2011/artikkel.php?artid=10088387 | 29.0% | 26.8% | 20.6% | 5.1% | 5.0% | 6.0% | 3.7% | 3.8% |
| InFact | 2011-07 | http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/valg-2011/artikkel.php?artid=10088387 | 24.9% | 27.0% | 16.9% | 7.5% | 5.7% | 5.2% | 6.1% | 6.7% |
| TNS Gallup* | 2011-07 | http://politisk.tv2.no/nyheter/stoltenberg-effekten-er-ikke-like-sterk-ved-kommunevalg/ | 35.4% | 23.3% | 13.6% | 6.2% | 4.7% | 6.0% | 5.9% | 4.9% |
| Norstat | 2011-08 | http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/norge/1.7745135 | 34.2% | 25.2% | 16.0% | 5.6% | 4.5% | 3.6% | 5.0% | 6.0% |
| TNS Gallup | 2011-08 | http://politisk.tv2.no/nyheter/kvinnene-snur-ryggen-til-siv-jensen/ | 33.8% | 24.9% | 12.7% | 4.9% | 6.0% | 6.8% | 6.2% | 4.7% |
| InFact | 2011-08 | http://www.dagbladet.no/2011/08/20/nyheter/politikk/valg11/17751253/ | 31.6% | 24.5% | 17.5% | 5.8% | 5.1% | 4.7% | 5.5% | 5.2% |
| Synovate | 2011-08 | http://www.dagbladet.no/2011/08/23/nyheter/politikk/valg_2011/valg11/innenriks/17786231/ | 34.0% | 26.0% | 16.0% | 4.9% | 6.1% | 4.7% | 3.9% | 4.5% |
| InFact | 2011-08 | http://www.dagbladet.no/2011/08/31/nyheter/politikk/valg_2011/arbeiderpartiet/frp/17894634/ | 32.4% | 25.0% | 12.9% | 5.7% | 7.2% | 6.3% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| TNS Gallup | 2011-08 | http://politisk.tv2.no/nyheter/historisk-lave-tall-for-sv/ | 30.9% | 25.0% | 14.0% | 6.5% | 6.5% | 4.0% | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| TNS Gallup | 2011-09 | http://politisk.tv2.no/nyheter/opptur-for-h%C3%B8yre-pa-fersk-kommunemaling/ | 31.3% | 27.3% | 12.8% | 5.9% | 6.0% | 4.5% | 6.9% | 4.5% |
| Synovate | 2011-09 | http://www.dagbladet.no/2011/09/03/nyheter/valg11/kristin_halvorsen/politikk/innenriks/17938273/ | 31.0% | 25.1% | 15.3% | 6.2% | 7.0% | 4.4% | 6.1% | 4.9% |
| TNS Gallup | 2011-09 | http://politisk.tv2.no/nyheter/hoyre-har-valgvinden-i-ryggen/ | 31.9% | 27.9% | 12.8% | 6.0% | 6.5% | 4.1% | 6.7% | 4.1% |
| Respons | 2011-09 | http://politisk.tv2.no/nyheter/sv-under-4-prosent-pa-ny-maling/ | 32.1% | 25.9% | 16.3% | 5.6% | 5.9% | 3.7% | 5.5% | 5.0% |
| TNS Gallup | 2011-09 | http://politisk.tv2.no/nyheter/tre-dager-igjen-ny-bunnrekord-for-sv/ | 34.3% | 27.1% | 11.3% | 5.2% | 6.2% | 3.6% | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| TNS Gallup | 2011-09 | http://politisk.tv2.no/nyheter/siste-maling-for-valget-stor-stabilitet-mellom-blokkene/ | 33.3% | 26.2% | 12.3% | 5.4% | 5.6% | 4.2% | 6.2% | 6.8% |
- This was the first poll since the attacks in Norway.