Christian Democrats out, Liberals wants further negotiations

Knut Arild Hareide Joker Krf human rights Christian Democrats HolidaysKrF Leader, Knut Arild Hareide. Photo: krf.no

Christian Democrats (KrF) out, Liberals wants further negotiations

The Christian Democrats leaves formal negotiations with the Government. But the Liberals keeps the door open.

 

During a meeting between the four bourgeois parties on Wednesday, the pipe dream of a blue-green Government consisting of the Conservatives, Christian Democrats and the Liberals was finally buried.

– The current Government ensues, Prime Minister Erna Solberg (Conservatives) noted after the meeting.

The Christian Democrats (KrF) made it clear that cooperation with the current coalition is not an alternative.

Opposition Party

– We find that our Governmental alternative was not viable. We therefore want to cooperate constructively and well, says party leader Hareide.

He is also clear that it is not applicable to Christian Democrats with a cooperation agreement and that they will therefore now become an opposition party.

– But we will of course be able to support the Government on a case to case basis, he says.

The Liberals, on the other hand, continues to weigh the pros and cons whether they will make the most impact outside or within Government.

Liberal leader, Trine Skei Grande, says she will consult the party to decide which matters are important enough to get consent for before continuing negotiations with the Government parties. This will probably however not be decided until after the state budget for next year has been dealt with by the Parliament.

Presently the Government has made up a budget. We would like to see a budget as a basis for cooperation. For us, all political cooperation is about getting things done and we have a list of items that we expect to get through, she says.

Door ajar

Solberg emphasizes that she keeps the door ajar towards both parties if they wish to enter into Government.

The talks between the four parties will continue next week discussing follow-up of decisions and agreements made during the four years the cooperation agreement lasted. Solberg states that she will not present a new Government platform before the budget is revealed on October 12.

– We do not present a Government platform, simply because it is still open how we negotiate with the Liberals. A Government platform might result from that this autumn, but it’s too early to conclude, it may however well happen.

More precarious power base

At the same time, she admits that the power base of the Government is more precarious now than in the previous period.

We now require support from four instead of three parties, and in that sense it was a clearer mandate for the bourgeois Government in the previous period, she says, adding that there were situations where the Government could have been felled because the Conservatives and Frp did not reach an agreement with both the Liberals and Christian Democrats.

– In that sense, it is not such a big difference, but it’s clearly a tinier power base.

But the possibilities for her to continue as Prime Minister are good, says Solberg.

– There will not be a cooperation agreement of the same kind that we have had in the current period, but I believe we will be able to find common solutions.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today