In one year, the Conservative Party (Høyre) has won the Mayor election, become one of Norway's largest political parties and has developed a strong a strong candidate for prime minister.
The Conservative Party will point to a successful year when they present a summary of this year's accomplishments next Thursday. Party leader Erna Solberg "owns" the polls, NRK reports, and her popularity has almost increased to the same level as current prime minister Jens Stoltenberg of the Labor Party (Ap).
Next week, most political parties will present a summary of their accomplishments and status for the previous year, as well as future plans.
The Conservative Party has had a remarkably strong year, with an increase of 12,3 percent compared to the election back in 2009. According to a recent poll in June, the Conservative Party is supported by 29,5 percent of the electorate, and is moving closer to the Labor Party at 31 percent. If they can maintain the same results until the election in 2013, their seats in government would increase from today's 30 to 55.
According to Solberg, the entire country leaves a year behind where their top political causes haven't been the main focus. "I am always ambitious when it comes to being offensive in regards to our political causes, but this has been a difficult year because of the trial," she explains. "Political issues have been more in the background."
Still, Solberg will mainly focus on three policy areas on Thursday: To have formed the party that she believes provides the best policies for education and quality teachers; to have initiated the debate about mandatory labor for those on welfare; and to have introduced several industrial policies that would facilitate more competitive business as well as the oil industry.
The party's challenge will be to find a party to cooperate with, says professor Bernt Aardal at the institute for social research. Although a non-socialist alternative of three parties is emerging, those parties don't always speak the same language. Solberg, on the other hand, thinks there is room enough for everybody:
"I want a four-party coalition. If that doesn't work, then I still want a government where all non-socialist parties can influence policies," she says.
(NRK)
