| Red-Green Coalition | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Jens Stoltenberg |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Ideology | Social democracy, Socialism Green Politics |
The Red-Green Coalition is a centre-left coalition of Norwegian parties, formed by the Labour (Ap), the Socialist Left Party (SV), and the Centre Party. It was established in 2005 to constitute an alternative to the centre-right government of Kjell Magne Bondevik, and won the Norwegian parliamentary election, 2005. The 2009 election gave the coalition a renewed majority.
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The coalition fared well in the 2005 parliamentary elections, winning a slight majority of seats, and a majority government among the parties was agreed upon, the first majority government in Norway since 1985. It replaced the Bondevik government on October 17, 2005. However, the three parties taking part in the coalition have different views on several important issues [1], and there were tough negotiations at Soria Moria in Oslo to put their differences aside in order to reach a common platform.
The victory was a historical landmark for a number of reasons. The Labour Party had never been a member of a coalition government, except for a short interim at the end of World War II. The Socialist Left Party had never participated in any government, and historically had been unwilling to co-operate with Labour. In addition, the Centre Party is co-operating with the centre-left of Norwegian politics for the first time, having previously formed governments with both the Conservatives and the Christian Democratic Party on several occasions.
A good relationship between the leader of Labour, Jens Stoltenberg, and of the Socialist Left, Kristin Halvorsen, has been a major factor in forming the alliance. Halvorsen is considered more pragmatic and moderate than some of her old-guard comrades; the Socialist People's Party, one of SV's predecessors, was established in the early 1960s as an ideological opponent to Labour's foreign policy, and it was the main opponent to NATO membership. After the September 2005 election, some old members have criticised Halvorsen for being too benign towards Labour.
Opponents of the Red-Green Coalition sometimes refer to this coalition by other names. The Norwegian centre-right, comprising Conservatives, Christian Democrats, Liberal Party and Progress party usually call it a socialist coalition, even though only one of the involved coalition partners calls itself socialist. The Red Electoral Alliance feels that "red" is not a descriptive colour for this coalition and therefore uses "pale red". Similarly, The Green Party and the Liberals (Venstre) claim that these three parties do not deserve the green colour.
The 2009 parliamentary elections resulted in a renewed majority for the Red-Green coalition, with 86 seats out of 169. The Socialist Left Party lost four seats in parliament, while the Labour Party gained three, and this is expected to cause some shift in the government's composition.[1] The successful reelection of a sitting government has been a rare event in Norway, and has not happened since 1993.[2]
Contents |
The Coalition Cabinet
- Prime Minister: Jens Stoltenberg (Ap)
- Minister of Foreign Affairs: Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap)
- Minister of Finance: Sigbjørn Johnsen (Ap).
- Minister of Local Affairs and Regional Development: Liv Signe Navarsete (Sp).
- Minister of Culture and Church Affairs: Anniken Huitfeldt (Ap)
- Minister of Children and Equality: Audun Lysbakken (Sv)
- Minister of Health and Care Services: Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen (Ap)
- Minister of Justice: Knut Storberget (Ap)
- Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs: Lisbeth Berg-Hansen (Ap)
- Minister of Labour and Social Affairs: Hanne Bjurstrøm (Ap)
- Minister of Defence: Grete Faremo (Ap)
- Minister of Trade and Industry: Trond Giske (Ap)
- Minister of Knowledge and Childhood Affairs (Kindergarten and Education matters): Kristin Halvorsen (Sv)
- Minister of Research and Higher Education: Tora Aasland (Sv)
- Minister of Development and Environment: Erik Solheim (Sv)
- Minister of Transport and Communications: Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa (Sp)
- Minister of food and Agriculture: Lars Peder Brekk (Sp)
- Minister of Oil and Energy: Terje Riis Johansen (Sp)
- Minister of Renewal: Rigmor Aasrud (Ap)
- Minister of Foreign Affairs (Development cases): Erik Solheim (Sv)
See also
References
- ^ Molstad, Kristjan; Hauge, Mari Torsdotter; Barstad, Stine (September 15, 2009). "«Å ta ministerposter fra SV vil være å strø salt i såret»" (in Norwegian). Aftenposten. http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/politikk/partiene/arbeiderpartiet/article3269724.ece. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ Helljesen, Vilde; Aanensen, Kristian (September 14, 2009). "– Dette er historisk" (in Norwegian). NRK. http://nrk.no/nyheter/innenriks/valg/valg_2009/1.6775208. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
External links
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