1997 Norwegian parliamentary election

1997 Norwegian parliamentary election

← 1993 15 September 1997 2001 →

All 165 seats in the Storting
83 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Candidate Thorbjørn Jagland Carl I. Hagen Kjell Magne Bondevik
Party Labour Progress Christian Democratic
Last election 36.91%, 67 seats 6.28%, 10 seats 7.88%, 13 seats
Seats won 65 25 25
Seat change Decrease2 Increase15 Increase12
Popular vote 904,362 395,376 353,082
Percentage 35.00% 15.30% 13.66%
Swing Decrease1.91pp Increase9.02pp Increase5.78pp

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Jan Petersen Anne Enger Lahnstein Kristin Halvorsen
Party Conservative Centre Socialist Left
Last election 17.04%, 28 seats 16.74%, 32 seats 7.91%, 13 seats
Seats won 23 11 9
Seat change Decrease5 Decrease21 Decrease4
Popular vote 370,441 204,824 155,307
Percentage 14.34% 7.93% 6.01%
Swing Decrease2.69pp Decrease8.81pp Decrease1.90pp

  Seventh party Eighth party
 
Leader Lars Sponheim Steinar Bastesen
Party Liberal Non-Partisan
Last election 3.61%, 1 seat 0.03%, 0 seats
Seats won 6 1
Seat change Increase5 Increase1
Popular vote 115,077 9,135
Percentage 4.45% 0.36%
Swing Increase0.84pp Increase0.33pp

Results by county

Prime Minister before election

Thorbjørn Jagland
Labour

Prime Minister after election

Kjell Magne Bondevik
Christian Democratic

Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on 14 and 15 September 1997.[1] Prior to the election Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland of the Labour Party had issued the 36.9 ultimatum declaring that the government would step down unless it gained 36.9% of the vote, the percentage gained by the Labour Party in 1993 under Gro Harlem Brundtland. Whilst Labour won a plurality of seats, they were unable to reach Jagland's 36.9% threshold, gaining 35% of the vote.

As a result of this, the Labour government stepped down, being replaced by a centrist coalition of the Christian People's Party, Liberal Party and the Centre Party, with Kjell Magne Bondevik being appointed Prime Minister, and confidence and supply support from the Conservative Party and the right-wing Progress Party.

  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1438 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7