Norway’s Labour Party, which has government power and won huge support after the July 22 terrorist attacks, has slipped in the most recent public opinion polls. It remains the country’s largest party, though, and has gained in several townships.
The poll, conducted by research firm Respons for newspaper Aftenposten, was taken just over a week before Norwegians head for the polls to vote in municipal and county elections on September 11-12. Labour’s so-called “sympathy effect” has disappeared in Oslo, where it once again fell behind the Conservative Party (Høyre) with 30.2 percent of the vote compared to Høyre’s 32.3 percent, and it’s declined in Bergen and Stavanger as well.
On a national basis, however, Labour holds 32.1 percent of the vote compared to Høyre’s 25.3 percent. The next-biggest party was the Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet, Frp), but it has declined by nearly half and claimed just 14.9 percent of the vote. All of the other parties had less than 7 percent of the vote.
Views and News staff
