FrP prepares for Government negotiations

Opening of the Norwegian Parliament in 2017. Photo: Stortinget.no

FrP prepares for tough Government negotiations

Road Tolls, immigration policy and taxes are the most important issues when the Progress Party (FrP) over the new year sits down at the negotiation table to try to form a Government in which the Christian Democrats (KrF) also participate.

 

– We have now had a good round with clear and comprehensive feedback from a united party that has agreed on the limits to what is acceptable, what the ambitions are. It makes it much easier for the party’s leadership, even though it will be very difficult, says Leader of the Progress Party, Siv Jensen.

On Tuesday evening, the central party group empowered the leadership to enter into factual negotiations with the Christian Democrats, the Liberals (Venstre) and the Conservatives (Høyre).

Jensen says she is expecting demanding negotiations where immigration policy is one of the clearest demands from the party. The party leader informs that she takes this very seriously – and at the same time – warns that there must be a common understanding from all government parties to respect that FrP has a very clear impact on the policy.

The Liberals gives thumbs up

The Parliamentarians in the Liberals has already given the party leadership the thumbs up to enter into Government negotiations.

– We had a meeting in the parliamentary group on Monday and have received all the powers we need to negotiate with a view to expanding the Government, Parliamentarian Leader, Terje Breivik, tells TV 2.

The probes between the Conservatives, Progress Party, Liberals and Christian Democrats started on November 22nd, after the Christian Democrats against Party Leader Knut Arild Hareide’s advise decided to seek Government cooperation with the Solberg led bourgeois Government.

the Christian Democrats-decides on Wednesday

What the parties have achieved in the probes is secret.

The Christian Democrat Deputy Leader, Kjell Ingolf Ropstad, told the newspaper Fædrelandsvennen on Monday that he hopes the Christian Democrats can reach a conclusion on whether the party will conduct Government talks or not during Wednesday, 19th December.

It is not known exactly if, where and when the actual Government talks start.

The Christian Democrats demands a Development Department

In the Government talks, the Christian Democrats will demand the creation of a separate Development Department.

Party leader Knut Arild Hareide confirms to Aftenposten that the party wants a different solution than today because they believe the management of the aid area is not good enough.

Today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has two ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ine Eriksen Søreide (Conservatives), and Minister for Development, Nikolai Astrup (Progress Party).

The Christian Democrats wish for a different model than the current Minister for Development, Nikolai Astrup, initially promotes

– We wish for a separate ministry, Leader of the Christian Democrats Hareide maintains.

He does not participate in the ongoing negotiations but is on the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Norwegian Parliament and is the foreign policy spokesperson for the party.

How tough the Christian Democrats will fight for the ministry – and thus elbow Nikolai Astrup aside is, according to Aftenposten, uncertain.

The Norwegian aid budget is currently at NOK 35 billion, give or take.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today