Conservatives re-elected to form Oslo's city government

Erling Lae

of the Conservative Party (Høyre) scored a personal victory when voters ensured that he'll remain as head of Oslo's Municipal Executive Board (byråd). The more ceremonial role of mayor, however, looks set to be the target of a power struggle. The Conservatives won 25.3 percent of the vote, while the more conservative Progress Party won 14.4 percent. That, combined with two other non-socialist parties gives them a non-socialist majority to form the city government.

One of those other non-socialist parties, the Liberal Party (Venstre), won 8.6 percent of the vote and doubled its seats in the City Council (bystyre). That amounted to a relative landslide for the small party in the center of Norway's political spectrum that's often the swing vote in forming governments.

Venstre, which literally translates to "left" in Norwegian but which actually is a more right-leaning "center" party, was thus quick to assert itself and even demand it be considered for the mayor's job.

The party's national leader also wants solid representation on the board but has said it refuses to rule with the Progress Party. That will leave Erling Lae with a challenge, as he needs to appease both sides.

Lae's initial reaction was that all the non-socialist parties should now focus on issues, not on party positioning. He also noted that without the Progress Party, "there is no non-socialist majority."

That's because the Labour Party actually emerged as most popular, with 30 percent of the vote. But one of its likely socialist partners, SV, lost badly and wound up with only 10.4 percent of the vote, meaning the socialists can't form a majority.

Now the non-socialist parties need to hash out a compromise before a new city government falls into place. The Conservatives will be in charge, though, overcoming a scandal just weeks ago when its former mayor was caught up in a case of tax evasion and had to resign.

Aftenposten English Web DeskNina Berglund

The results countrywide (in Norwegian): http://www.regjeringen.no/krd/html/valg2007/bks.html