Labor Party (Norway)

The Norwegian Labour Party (Norwegian: Det norske Arbeiderparti, DnA/Ap) is a political party in Norway, representing social democracy. Per the Norwegian parliamentary election of 2005, The Labour Party is Norway's largest political party, currently leading a coalition government with The Socialist Left Party and The Centre Party. This is a majority government.

History

Early years

The party was founded in 1887, as the second political party in Norway. Despite the growing worker class in Norway, the party didn't get any representatives in the Storting until 1903. The first time the Labour Party was granted governmental power was in 1928, led by Christopher Hornsrud as Prime Minister. However, this government only lasted some few weeks, so the real start of the Labour Party's golden age as major governing party started in 1935, when the popular Johan Nygaardsvold became Prime Minister. His leadership during the Second World War increased the party's power.

Golden years, 1935–1965

In the golden years, after the Second World War, the party was led by Einar Gerhardsen, being the Prime Minister of Norway 1945–1951, 1955–1963, and finally 1963–1965. During the break in 1963, the position was held by John Lyng from The Conservative Party. In larger political context, the short break didn't bring much right-wing politics to Norway, but it made the right-wing parties become closer, and in 1965 the Labour Party's golden age ended when a right-wing coalition led by Per Borten was in power untill 1971.

Loosing face, 1970's

Then the Labour Party's Trygve Bratteli became Prime Minister for two periods; 1971–1972 and 1973–1976, only interrupted by the Christian Democrat Lars Korvald in 1972–1973. Odvar Nordli from the Labour Party became Prime Minister in 1976, successed by the first female Prime Minister of Norway, Gro Harlem Brundtland, also from the Labour Party.

Challenged, 1980–2000

The party was heavily weakened in 1981, when Brundtland lost to the Conservative Kåre Willoch, but she became Prime Minister again in 1986, after Willochs government was turned down by The Progress Party after a dispute about oil prices. Brundtland's government had to give the power back to The Conservative Party, The Centre Party and The Christian Democratic Party, led by Jan P. Syse, in 1989. Syse didn't last long as Prime Minister, and had to give the power back to Brundtland and the Labour Party in 1990, then being in the government untill 1997, the last two years led by Thorbjørn Jagland.

Today

Jens Stoltenberg became Prime Minister after a dispute about gas power in 2000, but lost in the parlamentary election of 2001. He came back in power in 2005, and is still Prime Minister of Norway. Though Stoltenberg's current government has the majority of the mandates in the Storting, the government is under heavy critisism of missing results of its promises before the election, and is in large danger of loosing the power to the right-wing parties, especially the Progress and Conservative Parties after the next parliamentary election in 2009.

Prime Ministers

• Christopher Hornsrud, 1928
• Johan Nygaardsvold, 1935–1945
• Einar Gerhardsen, 1945–1951, 1955–1963 and 1963–1965
• Oscar Torp, 1951–1955
• Trygve Bratteli, 1971–1972 and 1973–1976
• Odvar Nordli, 1976–1981
• Gro Harlem Brundtland, 1981, 1986–1989 and 1990–1996
• Thorbjørn Jagland, 1996–1997
• Jens Stoltenberg, 2000–2001 and 2005–

Criticism

• Arrogance of power. As governing party in 16 years after the Second World War, the party was called arrogant by many opposition members. This includes, for instance, that the party often appoints party members for important governmental positions, as chief in the Norwegian State Broadcastning (NRK): From 1948 to 2001, all the chiefs had been politicians in the Labour Party.
• Populism. The party has been attacked for being populistic by Trine Skei Grande (Liberal Party, 2005), Torbjørn Røe Isaksen (Conservative Party, 2004) and the newspaper Bergens Tidende (2003).

See also

• Stortinget

External links

• About the Labour Party, English