Today, Norwegians all over the country will cast their vote in the 2021 parliamentary elections.
The live coverage has ended at 9 PM. For the latest news, kindly check THIS ARTICLE.
20:58: Green Party (MDG) deputy leader and top candidate in Troms, Kriss Rokkan Iversen, must be tested for corona and will therefore be absent from the party’s election headquarters tonight.
“Kriss Rokkan Iversen has unfortunately become ill with cold symptoms and does not have the opportunity to be here tonight,” the party’s second candidate in Troms, Jonas Nilsen, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
The MDG has two deputy leaders: Kriss Rokkan Iversen and Arild Hermstad.
20:50: Labor Party (AP) leader Jonas Gahr Støre says he is satisfied with the election campaign. If he secures a majority for a change of government, Støre is clear on what he will do tomorrow:
“Brush my teeth, eat breakfast, and take the day as it comes,” he told the press on Monday.
“I have a good gut feeling. We have had a good election campaign,” Støre noted. He said he hopes that plan A succeeds (i.e., that the Labor Party is able to form a majority with the SP and the SV.) If that does not happen, he is willing to talk to both the Red Party and the Green Party.
“If there is a majority, we have been clear on what our plan A is. Otherwise… We will take plenty of time to talk to the other parties,” Støre noted.
20:25: The Progress Party (FRP) does not intend to enter new, binding agreements with the Liberal Party (V) and the Christian Democrats (KRF), the party’s second deputy leader Terje Søviknes said.
“From 2013–2017, we thrived very well in government and were able to make visible the difference between the Liberal Party and the KRF on one side and us on the other. But when the two entered the government, all the compromises became difficult,” Søviknes told the newspaper VG.
The Liberal Party (V) joined the government in January 2018, while the KRF joined one year later. In January 2020, the FRP left the government after the government decided to bring a woman affiliated with ISIS from Syria to Norway.
First deputy leader Ketil Solvik-Olsen says he still hopes the party will partake in a new government after the election. However, he added that this time no binding agreements would be put into place.
“There will be no new binding agreements where we negotiate away our positions,” Solvik-Olsen told VG.
20:15: As the polls are closing, the Norwegian media are finally able to convey the figures from the election. But how much can we really trust these preliminary numbers? The figures being served to you at 9 PM tonight are merely a forecast, meaning that they will continuously change throughout the night.
The forecast will reflect how much support each party is expected to end up with, as well as how many mandates we can expect each party to have in the Norwegian Storting for the 2021-2025 period. Read more…
20:07: The polling station at Kastellet school in Oslo has been closed after a fire broke out in a fuse box.
“The polling station at Kastellet school was closed on Monday at 5:30 PM today after it started burning in a fuse box on the floor below… The fire brigade was quickly on site. Ballot papers, voters, and election staff were evacuated,” communications manager for elections in Oslo, Ingvild Åsgård, told the newspaper Nordstrands Blad.
There are power outages at the school as a result of the fire. The ballot papers that were in the polling station have been brought to Oslo City Hall and will be counted there.
“We have election staff outside the polling station who are guiding voters to the nearest polling station. Voters who arrive when the clock approaches 9 PM will be offered to be transported by taxi to surrounding polling stations and vote there,” Åsgård said.
19:43: The Christian Democratic Party’s (KRF) deputy leader Olaug Bollestad said it is important for Norway to have her party in the Norwegian parliament (Storting).
The KRF has struggled in the opinion polls after the party joined the Solberg government, which – at the time – consisted of the Conservatives, the Progress Party, and the Liberals. Nevertheless, the KRF managed to unify in the election campaign, says Bollestad told TV 2.
“I myself have traveled to every single county, and I experience that we are a united team that will show what we are interested in,” she said.
She added that it is important that a party with KRF values is represented in the Storting and gets over the threshold.
19:30: Conservative Party (H) deputy leader Jan Tore Sanner said that it is natural for the governing parties to get lower support.
At 7:30 PM, Sanner noted that it would not be surprising if the Conservatives, the Liberals (V), and the Christian Democrats (KRF) experienced a decrease in support in the election this year.
“What we see historically is that it is common for the parties to hold government power for four, maximum eight years. It will therefore not be unusual if parties see a decline after such a long time in power,” Sanner told the newspaper VG.
19:28: Green Party (MDG) leader Une Aina Bastholm says she hopes the party will cross the threshold and approach 5%.
“I hope we get over the threshold limit. I’m very excited about that. There are a lot of butterflies in my stomach now,” she noted.
“The threshold is very important to us. It’s the difference whether we come in with two or three (MPs) or as much as twelve, depending on how others do. That is what I am most excited about,” Bastholm explained.
“We may already know (the results) at 9 PM, but we may also have to bite our nails for an hour or two,” Bastholm added.
17:58: At least every third Norwegian votes differently in this year’s parliamentary elections than they did four years ago. The Socialist Left Party (SV) and the Conservatives (H) stand out. Read more…
16:52: Around 30 corona quarantined soldiers at Setermoen camp missed the deadline for advance voting. They were quarantined last week after several people tested positive for corona.
Law professor Eirik Holmøyvik at UiB says the Armed Forces or the recruits themselves could have solved the problem by calling the election board in Bardu. The Storting has adopted a separate rule that allows people in quarantine to vote in advance.
The deadline was on Friday, but the preparations were not made in time.
“It is unfortunate that they did not get a pre-vote while in quarantine,” Army spokesman Eirik Skomedal told Forsvarets Forum.
16:22: The Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti, SP) has announced, through its national assembly, that it will have a referendum on any possible government platform should it be part of a new left-wing coalition government. This has led to tensions with the Senterpartiet (Center Party, SP). Read more…
15:59: The election day has gone smoothly so far in both Oslo and Bergen after a record number of people voted in advance. In both municipalities, the vote count is well underway. Read more…
14:32: The Green Party’s (MDG) leader Une Bastholm voted on Monday morning at Foss upper secondary school in Oslo. She was the last of all the party leaders to vote in the elections. Read more…
14:09: The parliamentary elections, taking place today throughout Norway, has generated much interest worldwide. Foreign media have placed a big focus on the climate and oil debate so prevalent during campaigning. There is also mention of the paradox of modern Norway, a country that espouses environmental policies yet has largely gotten rich off the extraction of “dirty” fossil fuels. Read more…
13:29: For the Christian Democrats (KRF), the key challenge on Monday night will be whether they cross the threshold. If they manage to do so, it will be a success, KRF veteran Emil André Erstad believes. Read more…
13:20: During the weekend and so far on election day, 174 people voted from home due to corona isolation, Oslo Municipality told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
People in quarantine or isolation had until 10 o’clock on Monday to let the municipality know if they wanted someone to cast their vote from home.
Quarantined Oslo citizens who wish to vote can also visit the drive-in vaccination venue at Valle Hovin on election day.
11:55: Voting for the parliamentary elections takes place, throughout the country, today. Can prisoners vote in Norway? What role does the king have? And who appoints the Nobel Committee? Read on for all the essential facts and figures about election day, voting, and the Norwegian parliament (Storting).
10:59: Prime Minister Erna Solberg voted at Skjold School in Bergen.
“It is always fun and solemn on election day. I’m not sure how this election will turn out, so, therefore, everyone who wants the Conservative Party must vote for the Conservative Party,” Solberg told TV 2. Read more…
9:58: State Secretary Rune Alstadsæter (H) at the Prime Minister’s Office believes that there have been too many party leader debates in the election campaign. Read more…
9:08: Are you wondering what happens if the elections lead to a change of government? We’ve got you covered. Read more…
8:38: People in quarantine can vote via adapted polling stations, while people in isolation can vote from home – but they have to hurry. Read more…
8:00: How will today’s vote counting take place, and when will the election results be announced? You can find out more here.
- Norwegian elections of 2021: What are the key issues?
- Norway 2021 elections: These are the major parties and most likely coalitions
Vote counting
All ballot papers are counted three times: twice in the municipalities and once in the county municipalities – the so-called control count.
The advance votes that the municipalities have received are counted first, on the Sunday before election day. Advance votes cast in other municipalities that arrive at the municipalities on election day(s) are not be counted until Tuesday after election day at 5 PM, according to the Norwegian Directorate of Elections.
The first count is manual and is performed by election staff according to established routines. The second count can be machine-mediated, i.e., the ballot papers are scanned and read by the EVA scan that the Norwegian Electoral Directorate delivers to the municipalities. 189 of the 356 municipalities use the scans, and the remaining count votes manually in other counts.
Votes cast on election day (election votes) can be counted as soon as all polling stations in the municipality are closed on election day.
When will the election results be known?
The final election result from the constituencies will be clear when the county election boards have approved the election results. Before that, the municipalities must also finish counting all the votes. This usually happens in the afternoon or evening on Tuesday after election day.
The preliminary count of advance votes will be announced at 9 PM on election day. At the same time, forecasts will be announced for the election result, based on the advance votes. Shortly before midnight, the forecast will be discontinued, and then the actual reported results will be continuously displayed on valgresultater.no.
At this year’s election, a record number of people have voted in advance. The increase in the number of advance votes means that there is a larger base of data for the forecast figures presented at 9 PM on election day.
Source: Norway Today
Do you have a news tip for Norway Today? We want to hear it. Get in touch at [email protected]
Leave a comment