Green Party (Norway) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Green Party Miljøpartiet De Grønne
Abbreviation	MDG
Leader	Arild Hermstad
Deputy leader	Lan Marie Berg
Founded	29 October 1988 (1988-10-29)
Headquarters	Oslo
Youth wing	Young Greens of Norway
Membership (2024)	9,903
Ideology	Green politics Pro-Europeanism
Political position	Centre-left
European affiliation	European Green Party
International affiliation	Global Greens
Colours	Green
Storting	3 / 169
County Councils	36 / 574
Municipal Councils	157 / 9,344

The Green Party (also known as MDG) is a political party in Norway. It focuses on protecting the environment. The party is considered to be on the centre-left side of politics. This means they often support ideas that help society and the environment.

The Green Party has three members in the Storting, which is the Parliament of Norway. They won these seats in the 2021 elections. The party also has members in local councils across Norway. They gained more support in the 2023 local elections.

The Green Party is part of a bigger group called the European Green Party. They are also part of the Global Greens, which is a worldwide network of green parties. The party was started with the German Green Party as a model. They work closely with other Green parties, like those in Germany and Sweden. The current leader of the party is Arild Hermstad.

How the Green Party Started

The idea to form a new national green party in Norway began in December 1984. The party officially started in 1988. Some important people who helped start the party were the philosopher Arne Næss and peace researcher Johan Galtung.

For many years, from 1991 to 2009, the Green Party had a small number of elected representatives in local elections. In national elections, they did not get much support.

Since 2005, more and more people have joined the Green Party. These new members came from many different political backgrounds.

First Big Wins

In the local elections of 2011, the party had its first big success. They received nearly 22,000 votes across Norway. Two years later, during the campaign for the 2013 national election, the party's support grew a lot. Many people thought the Greens would get seats in Parliament.

In the 2013 election, the Greens received over 79,000 votes. This made them the eighth largest party in Norway. Rasmus Hansson, who was the party's main candidate from Oslo, was elected to Parliament. He became the first Green Party member ever to be in the Norwegian Parliament.

In the local elections of 2015, the Green Party got more than 4% of the national vote for the first time. They also became the third largest party in Oslo.

The party has stated that they will not join a government with any parties that want to continue drilling for oil in the North Sea.

What the Green Party Believes In

The Green Party is part of a global movement that cares about the environment. As a member of the European Green Party, the Norwegian Greens believe in social progress and fairness for everyone.

The main goals of the party are:

• Protecting the environment.
• Making sure we use resources in a way that can last for a long time.

The party wants to introduce a tax on things that are wasteful. They also want to change the food industry to be more sustainable. The Greens support changes in farming to grow more organic crops. They also want to help farms that are good for the environment.

The Green Party wants to reduce how much oil Norway takes out of the ground. They propose to stop oil extraction by 2040. This is to help fight serious climate change.

Party Leaders and Spokespersons

Arild Hermstad and Une Aina Bastholm, who were spokespeople for the party, pictured in October 2018.

Rasmus Hansson, a member of the Parliament of Norway, being interviewed on the 2013 election night.

Hanna Marcussen, a former national spokeswoman, pictured in September 2013.

The Green Party has had many leaders and spokespersons over the years. Here are some of them:

Spokespersons

• Ove Braaten, 1989–1991
• Olav Benestad, 1991–1992
• Jan Bojer Vindheim, 1993–1996 / 1997–2001
• Ane Aadland, 1995–1997
• Arne Gravanes, 1996–1997
• Birte Simonsen, 1998–1999
• Brynmor Evans, 1998–1999
• Gunter Schotz, 1999–2000
• Lisa Fröyland, 1999–2002
• Tove Funderud Johansen, 2000–2001
• Birte Simonsen, 2002–2004
• Brynmor Evans, 2004–2005
• Trude Malthe Thomassen, 2004–2007
• Gaute Busch, 2005–2006
• Mats Indrefjord Høllesli, 2006–2007
• Birte Simonsen, 2007–2008
• Sondre Båtstrand, 2008–2011
• Hanna Marcussen, 2008–2014
• Harald August Nissen, 2011–2014
• Hilde Opoku, 2014–2016
• Rasmus Hansson, 2016–2018
• Arild Hermstad, 2018–2020
• Une Aina Bastholm, 2016–2020

Leaders

• Une Aina Bastholm, 2020–2022
• Arild Hermstad, 2022–present

Deputy Leaders

• Arild Hermstad, 2020–2022
• Kriss Rokkan Iversen, 2020–2022
• Ingrid Liland, 2022–present
• Lan Marie Berg, 2022–present

Election Results

The Green Party takes part in national and local elections in Norway. Here are some of their results:

Storting (Parliament) Elections

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Status
1989	10,136	0.4	0 / 165	New	9th	No seats
1993	3,054	0.1	0 / 165		12th	No seats
1997	5,884	0.2	0 / 165		11th	No seats
2001	3,785	0.2	0 / 165		13th	No seats
2005	3,652	0.1	0 / 169		12th	No seats
2009	9,286	0.3	0 / 169		10th	No seats
2013	79,152	2.8	1 / 169	1	8th	Opposition
2017	94,427	3.2	1 / 169		8th	Opposition
2021	117,647	3.9	3 / 169	2	8th	Opposition

Local Elections

See also

In Spanish: Partido Verde (Noruega) para niños

• Green party
• List of environmental organizations