Labour Party (Norway) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Labour Party Arbeiderpartiet Arbeidarpartiet
Abbreviation	A Ap
Leader	Jonas Gahr Støre
Parliamentary leader	Bjørnar Skjæran
Founded	22 August 1887; 137 years ago (1887-08-22)
Headquarters	Youngstorget 2 A, 5th floor, Oslo
Youth wing	Workers' Youth League
Membership (2024)	43,952
Ideology	Social democracy Pro-Europeanism
Political position	Centre-left
European affiliation	Party of European Socialists
International affiliation	Progressive Alliance Socialist International (1951-2016)
Nordic affiliation	SAMAK The Social Democratic Group
Colours	Red
Slogan	Trygghet for fremtiden ('Safety for the future')
Storting	48 / 169
County councils	277 / 777
Municipal councils	2,023 / 10,620
Sámi Parliament	7 / 39

The Labour Party (also known as Arbeiderpartiet in Norwegian) is a major political party in Norway. It is often called A or Ap for short. This party is known for its social democratic ideas, which means it believes in a fair society where everyone has equal chances. It is positioned on the centre-left side of politics. The current leader of the Labour Party is Jonas Gahr Støre.

The Labour Party was the main party in a government with the Centre Party from 2021 until the Centre Party left the government in 2025. Jonas Gahr Støre has been the Prime Minister of Norway since October 2021. The party's main goal is to create a strong welfare state. This means the government helps people with things like healthcare, education, and social support. They believe this should be paid for through taxes.

Since the 1980s, the party has also included some ideas from a social market economy. This means they allow some private businesses and services, and they have changed tax rules. The Labour Party supports Norway being part of NATO. They also supported Norway joining the European Union in past votes. The party's youth group is called the Workers' Youth League.

History of the Labour Party

The Labour Party was started in 1887. It slowly gained more support over the years. By the 1927 election, it became the biggest party in Norway. It has held this position ever since.

How the Party Started

The party headquarters in Oslo

The party began in 1887 in a town called Arendal. It first took part in elections for the Storting (the Norwegian Parliament) in 1894. The party won its first seats in parliament in 1903. Its support grew steadily until 1927, when it became the largest party. For a few years, between 1918 and 1923, the party was part of a communist group called the Communist International (Comintern).

The Labour Party had many newspapers and other ways to share its ideas. This included Vort Arbeide and later Norsk Arbeiderpresse. In 1913, the party had 24 newspapers, and more were started that year. They also had their own publishing house for books and magazines.

The party faced some disagreements in the 1920s. In 1921, some members left to form the Social Democratic Labour Party of Norway. In 1923, the Labour Party left the Comintern. Then, some members left to form the Communist Party of Norway. However, in 1927, the Social Democrats rejoined the Labour Party. That same year, Helga Karlsen became the first woman from the Labour Party to be a Member of Parliament.

In 1928, Christopher Hornsrud formed the Labour Party's first government. But it only lasted for two weeks. In the early 1930s, the Labour Party changed its approach. It became more focused on making changes through laws and reforms. The party returned to government in 1935 and stayed in power through World War II. When Nazi Germany invaded Norway in 1940, the Labour-led government and the royal family moved to London. They led the country from there during the war.

After World War II

After World War II ended, the Labour Party won the 1945 Norwegian parliamentary election. They gained a clear majority of seats in the Storting for the first time. Einar Gerhardsen became prime minister and was a very important leader for Norway after the war. He is often called Landsfaderen, meaning "Father of the Nation". He helped rebuild Norway after the war. The time from 1945 to 1961 is seen as a very strong period for the Labour Party. They kept their majority in parliament until the 1961 election.

In 1963, the Labour government had to step down for a short time. This was due to an event called the Kings Bay Affair. But they returned to power less than a month later and stayed in office until 1965. The Labour Party also led the government during other periods, including 1971–1972, 1973–1981, 1986–1989, and 1990–1997. Important Labour prime ministers during this time included Oscar Torp, Trygve Bratteli, and Gro Harlem Brundtland. The party remained the largest in Norway throughout the rest of the 20th century.

The 21st Century

A Labour Party campaign booth in Oslo before the 2007 Norwegian local elections.

In 2000, the Labour Party returned to power with Jens Stoltenberg as prime minister. However, after some internal disagreements and a difficult time in government, the party had its lowest election result since 1924 in the 2001 Norwegian parliamentary election. They received only 24.3% of the votes.

The party then went into opposition. But they recovered in the 2005 Norwegian parliamentary election, getting 32.7% of the votes. The Labour Party then formed a government with the Socialist Left and Centre parties. This was called the Red-green coalition.

In 2011, the party officially changed its name from "The Norwegian Labour Party" to simply "The Labour Party". This was to make it clearer for voters. On July 22, 2011, a tragic attack occurred at the Labour Party's youth camp and a government building in Oslo, causing many deaths. Jens Stoltenberg's response to this event was well-received by the public. He spoke about the importance of openness and tolerance.

In the 2013 Norwegian parliamentary election, the Red-green coalition lost its majority. The Labour Party remained the largest party, but they went into opposition. Jens Stoltenberg stepped down as party leader in 2014. Jonas Gahr Støre, who was a well-known figure in Stoltenberg's government, became the new party leader on June 14, 2014. In the 2017 Norwegian parliamentary election, the Labour Party lost more seats. The Conservative Party and its partners stayed in power.

In 2021, the Labour Party returned to government after eight years in opposition. This happened after the 2021 Norwegian parliamentary election. Even though the party lost one seat, the centre-left parties together won a clear majority. Jonas Gahr Støre became the prime minister on October 14, 2021. He led a government with the Centre Party. Soon after, the government faced challenges like the Russian invasion of Ukraine and rising energy prices.

How the Labour Party Works

The Labour Party is organized into local groups across Norway. There are about 2,500 of these groups. The party has a long history of working closely with the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO). In the past, members of LO were also automatically members of the Labour Party. This rule changed in 1995.

The highest decision-making body of the party is the Party Congress. This meeting happens every two years. Between these congresses, the National Delegate's Meeting makes important decisions. This group includes the party's Executive Board and two representatives from each of Norway's counties. The Executive Board has 16 elected members and the party leaders.

The party is led by one main leader. It also has one or two deputy leaders. As of 2022, Jonas Gahr Støre is the leader, and Bjørnar Selnes Skjæran is the deputy leader. The party's youth group is the Workers' Youth League. There is also a women's group called the Labour Party Women's Network. The party also takes part in elections for the Sami Parliament of Norway.

Important Labour Party Leaders

Party Leaders

Jonas Gahr Støre, party leader since 2014 and prime minister since 2021.

• Anders Andersen (1887–1888)
• Hans G. Jensen (1888–1889)
• Christian Holtermann Knudsen (1889–1890)
• Carl Jeppesen (1890–1892)
• Ole Georg Gjøsteen (1892–1893)
• Gustav A. Olsen-Berg (1893–1894)
• Carl Jeppesen (1894–1897)
• Ludvig Meyer (1897–1900)
• Christian Holtermann Knudsen (1900–1903)
• Christopher Hornsrud (1903–1906)
• Oscar Nissen (1906–1911)
• Christian Holtermann Knudsen (1911–1918)
• Kyrre Grepp (1918–1922)
• Emil Stang (1922–1923)
• Oscar Torp (1923–1945)
• Einar Gerhardsen (1945–1965)
• Trygve Bratteli (1965–1975)
• Reiulf Steen (1975–1981)
• Gro Harlem Brundtland (1981–1992)
• Thorbjørn Jagland (1992–2002)
• Jens Stoltenberg (2002–2014)
• Jonas Gahr Støre (2014–present)

Labour Party Prime Ministers

• Christopher Hornsrud (January–February 1928)
• Johan Nygaardsvold (1935–1945)
• Einar Gerhardsen (1945–1951)
• Oscar Torp (1951–1955)
• Einar Gerhardsen (1955–1963), (1963–1965)
• Trygve Bratteli (1971–1972, 1973–1976)
• Odvar Nordli (1976–1981)
• Gro Harlem Brundtland (February–October 1981, 1986–1989, 1990–1996)
• Thorbjørn Jagland (1996–1997)
• Jens Stoltenberg (2000–2001, 2005–2013)
• Jonas Gahr Støre (2021–present)

Election Results

Storting Election Results

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Status
1894	Carl Jeppesen	520	0.3	0 / 114	New	4th	No seats
1897	Ludvig Meyer	947	0.6	0 / 114		4th	No seats
1900	Christian Knudsen	7,013	3.0	0 / 114		4th	No seats
1903	Christopher Hornsrud	22,948	9.7	5 / 117	5	5th	Opposition
1906	Oscar Nissen	43,134	15.9	10 / 123	5	3rd	Opposition
1909		91,268	21.5	11 / 123	1	4th	Opposition
1912	Christian Knudsen	128,455	26.2	23 / 123	12	2nd	Opposition
1915		198,111	32.0	19 / 123	4	3rd	Opposition
1918	Kyrre Grepp	209,560	31.6	18 / 123	1	3rd	Opposition
1921		192,616	21.3	29 / 150	11	3rd	Opposition
1924	Oscar Torp	179,567	18.4	24 / 150	5	3rd	Opposition
1927		368,106	36.8	59 / 150	35	1st	Opposition (1927–1928)
							Minority (1928)
							Opposition (1928–1930)
1930		374,854	31.4	47 / 150	12	1st	Opposition
1933		500,526	40.1	69 / 150	22	1st	Opposition (1933–1935)
							Minority (1935–1936)
1936		618,616	42.5	70 / 150	1	1st	Majority
1945	Einar Gerhardsen	609,348	41.0	76 / 150	6	1st	Coalition (1945)
							Majority (1945–1949)
1949		803,471	45.7	85 / 150	9	1st	Majority
1953		830,448	46.7	77 / 150	8	1st	Majority
1957		865,675	48.3	78 / 150	1	1st	Majority
1961		860,526	46.8	74 / 150	4	1st	Minority (1961–1963)
							Opposition (1963)
							Minority (1963–1965)
1965		883,320	43.1	68 / 150	6	1st	Opposition
1969	Trygve Bratteli	1,004,348	46.5	74 / 150	6	1st	Opposition (1969–1971)
							Minority (1971–1972)
							Opposition (1972–1973)
1973		759,499	35.3	62 / 155	12	1st	Minority
1977	Reiulf Steen	972,434	42.3	76 / 155	14	1st	Minority
1981	Gro Harlem Brundtland	914,749	37.1	65 / 155	11	1st	Opposition
1985		1,061,712	40.8	71 / 157	6	1st	Opposition (1985–1986)
							Minority (1986–1989)
1989		907,393	34.3	63 / 165	8	1st	Opposition (1989–1990)
							Minority (1990–1993)
1993	Thorbjørn Jagland	908,724	36.9	67 / 165	4	1st	Minority
1997		904,362	35.0	65 / 165	2	1st	Opposition (1997–2000)
							Minority (2000–2001)
2001		612,632	24.3	43 / 165	22	1st	Opposition
2005	Jens Stoltenberg	862,456	32.7	61 / 169	18	1st	Coalition
2009		949,060	35.4	64 / 169	3	1st	Coalition
2013		874,769	30.8	55 / 169	9	1st	Opposition
2017	Jonas Gahr Støre	801,073	27.4	49 / 169	6	1st	Opposition
2021		783,394	26.3	48 / 169	1	1st	Coalition (2021–2025)
							Minority (from 2025)

Graphical Summary of Election Results

See also

In Spanish: Partido Laborista (Noruega) para niños