The red-green party leadership trio with Jonas Gahr Støre (Labor Party), Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Social Democrats) and Audun Lysbakken (Social Democrats) went into government polls in Hurdal with 89 seats behind them in the Storting.
But after SV broke out, Støre and Vedum are left with 76 seats, while they must have at least 85 to get a majority for the state budget and other issues they present to the Storting.
Støre and Vedum have made it clear that SV is their preferred “budget partner” in the Storting, and Lysbakken is ready.
But should the three go on a new collaboration, the Labor Party and the Socialist People’s Party will in theory be able to form a majority with Red and Patient Focus, which won eight and one seat in the Storting, respectively.
– I think it would be a more such “exotic budget trip” for the Labor Party and the Center Party. I do not think they will try. Jonas Gahr Støre has said very clearly that he wants a collaboration with SV, and we are ready for that, says Lysbakken.
He believes it would be unwise of Støre and Vedum to free to the right to obtain a majority for other small and large issues.
– If the government were to make the political choice and often go to the bourgeois side, then I think it will create big problems among their voters. People who have voted for the Labor Party, people in LO. Also very many who have voted for the Center Party have done so to get the right away from power and influence, not for them to get it.
Adventure on the right
The smartest thing in the long run is to have a permanent partner in the Storting, says Lysbakken, but he also emphasizes that SV is not a support party for the government.
– We are an opposition party, we have no ties to them, but the reason why they can negotiate to form a government is our mandates, and we expect that it means that they must seek a majority with us, and not go on adventures on the right.
Well, we have not seen the budget now, so it’s a little early to say. But all the issues that we discussed at Hurdal and that contributed to us not reaching our goal, whether it is oil and climate policy or profit in the welfare or tax system.
The SV leader will not fire on the demands, even if they had to give up in Hurdal.
– All the issues that we discussed in Hurdal, and which contributed to us not reaching our goal, whether it is oil and climate policy, profit in welfare or a fairer tax system can of course be a topic in budget negotiations in the years to come, he warns.
Stronger in the Storting
The question is how SV will succeed in getting the course they want through the budget negotiations, when they did not go further than the polls in Hurdal.
– In the Storting, we can ally with several parties and we can gain strength in the popular commitment around both climate and environment and fair distribution. It can give us extra strength to make it easier to get through to things that are harder to achieve when you are the smallest party in a closed room.
– NEGOTIATIONS: Jonas Gahr Støre (Labor Party) and Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Social Democrats) have both said that SV is their preferred budget partner. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB
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Støre does not want to talk about cooperation
The incoming Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Labor Party) does not want to say anything about whether they will seek a majority with different parties in the Storting, so-called “slalom skiing”.
– We have said that in the budgets it is only natural that SV is our partner. We take one thing at a time, we have not prepared either downhill, cross country or “super-G”.
– But are there other areas than budget, where it is relevant to collaborate with others?
– I do not go into it any further, says Støre.
Future government colleague Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp), on the other hand, is not as reticent.
– In Norway, there is a tradition of collaborating and finding solutions across different parties. And that is a strength.
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