Socialist Left Party (Norway)

Socialist Left Party
Sosialistisk Venstreparti
AbbreviationSV
LeaderKirsti Bergstø
Parliamentary leaderAudun Lysbakken
Founded16 March 1975
Preceded bySocialist Electoral League
HeadquartersMøllergata 4, Oslo
Youth wingSocialist Youth
Membership (2018)Increase 11,385[needs update]
Ideology
Political positionLeft-wing
European affiliationNordic Green Left Alliance
Colours
  •   Red
  •   Green
  •   Purple (customary)
SloganFor de mange – ikke for de få ("For the Many – Not the Few")
Storting
13 / 169
County Councils
34 / 574
Municipal Councils
484 / 9,344
Sami Parliament
0 / 39
Website
sv.no Edit this at Wikidata

The Socialist Left Party (Norwegian: Sosialistisk Venstreparti, SV; Northern Sami: Sosialisttalaš Gurutbellodat) is a democratic socialist political party in Norway.[1] Positioned on the left-wing of the political spectrum,[2] it is opposed to European Union and the European Economic Area membership.[3][4][5] SV supports a strong public sector, stronger social welfare programs, environmentalism, and republicanism.[6][7] As of 2018, the party had 11,385 members;[8][needs update] the number has steadily increased since a low point in 2015. The party leader is Kirsti Bergstø, who was elected on 18 March 2023[9][10]

The party was founded in 1973 as the Socialist Electoral League, an electoral coalition with the Communist Party of Norway, Socialist People's Party, Democratic Socialists – AIK, and independent socialists. In 1975, the coalition was turned into a unified political party. The party was largely founded as a result of the foreign policies prevalent at the time, with the socialists being opposed to Norwegian membership of the European Communities (which later became the European Union) and of NATO.[11][12][13] SV calls for a stronger public sector, a mixed economy, and a strengthening of the social welfare net. While advocating democratic socialism, the party also increasingly profiles itself as a supporter of feminism[14] and environmentalism through eco-socialism.[1]

In the 2005 Norwegian parliamentary election, SV became a governing party for the first time, participating in the red–green coalition with the Labour Party and the Centre Party; before that, it was frequently turned down by the Labour Party. SV was reduced to the seventh-largest party following the 2013 Norwegian parliamentary election, in its worst election on record, but bounced back in the 2017[9][10] and 2021 parliamentary elections, although it remained both times at the opposition.[15]

  1. ^ a b Nordsieck, Wolfram (September 2021). "Norway". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  2. ^ Colomer, Josep M. (25 July 2008). Comparative European Politics. Routledge. p. 261. ISBN 9781134073542. Retrieved 23 August 2018..
  3. ^ AFP, French Press Agency– (11 September 2021). "Norway faces possible change in EU ties after election". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  4. ^ Rye, Lise. "Norwegian eurosceptism revisited" (PDF).
  5. ^ "Norway flirts with the idea of a 'mini Brexit' in election campaign". The Local Norway. 11 September 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  6. ^ Nikel, David (4 August 2021). "Political Parties in Norway". Life in Norway. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  7. ^ "SV-forslag om republikk får støtte fra flere" (in Norwegian). 25 September 2016.
  8. ^ "Medlemstallene i SV mot nye høyder" (in Norwegian). Socialist Left Party. 10 January 2018. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  9. ^ a b "SV-jubel over kraftig medlemsvekst" [SV rejoices over membership growth]. Dagens Næringsliv (in Norwegian). 10 January 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  10. ^ a b "SV vokser videre etter godt valg" [SV continues to grow after good elections]. Vårt Land (in Norwegian). 28 September 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  11. ^ "12.2.2 Partienes syn... - regjeringen.no". Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  12. ^ "Hva står de politiske partiene for?" (in Norwegian). Nasjonal Digital Læringsarena.
  13. ^ "Alliansepolitikk". SV (in Norwegian). Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  14. ^ Håland, Asta Beate (31 December 2005). "Kvinner og andre minoriteter" (in Norwegian). Klassekampen.
  15. ^ Buli, Nora; Klesty, Victoria (14 September 2021). "Norway's left-wing opposition wins in a landslide, coalition talks next". Reuters. Retrieved 19 October 2021.