Norwegians voted on Sunday in a parliamentary election whose outcome is too close to call, with opinion polls showing Prime Minister Erna Solberg's centre-right government and the opposition centre-left bloc running neck and neck. Solberg's Conservatives want to cut taxes if they win a fresh four-year mandate, while the centre-left led by Labour's Jonas Gahr Stoere seeks tax hikes to fund better public services. The outcome could also impact Norway's vital oil industry because to form a government either Solberg or Gahr Stoere is likely to depend on one or more parties that seek to impose limits on exploration in Arctic waters off Norway's northern coast.
Polling stretches over two days, ending at 1900 GMT on Monday. "I don't want to change the current government. For me the most important is the tax reform policies," said Kjell Solli, 47, a real estate agent who cast his ballot for the right-wing Progress Party, a junior member of Solberg's coalition. For much of the year, Labour and its centre-left allies were ahead in the polls and were favoured to win a comfortable victory, but support for the government has risen as the economy has gradually recovered from a two-year slump.
Opinion polls in September on average have given Solberg's four-party bloc 85 seats in the 169-member parliament, just enough for a majority, while Labour and the centre-left are expected to secure 84 seats. Solberg is expected to cast her ballot on Monday. The election winner will face tricky coalition negotiations and will have to meet tough demands from smaller parties to keep their support over the next four years.
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