Red Party (Norway) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Red Party Rødt Raudt
Leader	Marie Sneve Martinussen
Founders	Torstein Dahle Ingrid Baltzersen
Founded	11 March 2007; 19 years ago (2007-03-11)
Merger of	Red Electoral Alliance Workers' Communist Party
Headquarters	Dronningens gate 22, Oslo
Newspaper	Klassekampen (largest share of ownership)
Youth wing	Red Youth
Membership (2024)	13,131
Ideology	Communism Anti-capitalism Democratic socialism Marxism Republicanism (Norwegian)
Political position	Left-wing to far-left
Nordic affiliation	Nordic Green Left Alliance
Colours	Red      Maroon (customary)
Slogan	Fordi fellesskap fungerer ('Because community works')
Storting	9 / 169
County Councils	20 / 574
Municipal Councils	192 / 9,344

The Red Party (in Norwegian: Rødt or Raudt) is a political party in Norway. It was created in March 2007. The party was formed by combining two older groups: the Red Electoral Alliance and the Workers' Communist Party.

The Red Party believes in creating a society where everyone is equal. They want to replace capitalism with socialism. This means they want a strong public sector (services run by the government for everyone). They also want to take over large businesses to benefit the community. The party strongly disagrees with Norway joining the European Union.

The Red Party has members in many local and regional councils across Norway. In the 2017 Norwegian parliamentary election, the party won its first seat in the Storting (Norway's parliament). In the 2025 Norwegian parliamentary election, the party achieved its best result ever, securing nine seats in Parliament.

What the Red Party Believes In

The Red Party is a political movement that believes in democratic socialism and Marxism. They think that big differences in wealth and opportunities are a major problem. They believe these differences harm democracy and public services. The party wants to change the economic system to make it fairer for everyone. They do not support violent actions to achieve their goals.

Helping People and Protecting Nature

The Red Party wants to build a society based on equality, human rights, and helping each other. They believe everyone should have the chance to take part in society. The party also thinks that the current economic system often harms nature. They want an economy that respects the limits of our planet.

The party is known for caring about the environment. They support policies that protect nature. They also strongly support equality and respect for all people, no matter their background. The party believes in feminism and fighting against racism.

Economy and Public Services

The Red Party strongly supports the Nordic model. This is a system where the government provides many important services like healthcare and education. They believe this model helps create a good standard of living for everyone. The party wants higher taxes for very wealthy people. They see this as a way to reduce economic inequality in Norway. They also believe that workers' unions are very important for making positive changes in society.

The party has spoken out against what they call "welfare profiteurs." These are people or companies who make money from public services. The Red Party believes these services, like kindergartens and elderly care, should be run for the benefit of everyone, not for private profit.

Views on Democracy

The Red Party believes that when a small group of very rich people or big companies have too much power, it can make democracy weaker. They want to give workers more say in how their workplaces are run.

The party is committed to making democratic institutions stronger. They believe in free speech, freedom of association, free elections, a free media, and independent courts. These are all important for a fair and equal society.

How They See the World

The Red Party believes in working with people and countries around the world. They want to show solidarity with those who face challenges like poverty, climate change, and conflict.

The party does not want Norway to be part of the EEA agreement. They worry about unfair competition for workers and Norway losing control over its own decisions. They also want Norway to leave NATO. However, they think this should only happen if Norway can join another strong alliance, perhaps with other Nordic countries.

The party supports Norway recognizing Palestine as a state.

Monarchy or Republic?

The Red Party wants to replace the monarchy in Norway with a republican form of government. This means they would prefer a president instead of a king or queen.

Party History

How the Party Started (2007)

The Red Party was officially founded on March 7, 2007. It was a merger of two older political groups: the Red Electoral Alliance and the Workers' Communist Party. These two groups had worked together for many years. The Workers' Communist Party had actually created the Red Electoral Alliance to help spread its ideas in elections.

At the time of its founding, the party wanted to address issues that many Norwegians cared about. They felt these issues were not being properly discussed by other political parties.

Early Years (2007–2010)

Torstein Dahle, the first leader of the Red Party

Torstein Dahle was chosen as the first leader of the Red Party in February 2007. Ingrid Baltzersen, who was the leader of the Workers' Communist Party, became the party's deputy leader.

When the party prepared for the 2007 Norwegian local elections, they had to campaign under the old name, the Red Electoral Alliance. This was because their new name had not yet been officially approved.

New Leaders (2010–2023)

Turid Thomassen became the leader of the Red Party in May 2010. She had a lot of experience from the older parties that merged to form Red. Bjørnar Moxnes, who had led the youth wing, became her deputy leader.

In May 2012, Bjørnar Moxnes was elected as the new party leader. During his time as leader, the Red Party grew a lot. They gained more votes and became more visible in Norwegian politics. The party first won seats in the Storting in the 2021 Norwegian parliamentary election, securing eight representatives.

Marie Sneve Martinussen (left) with former leader Bjørnar Moxnes (right)

Bjørnar Moxnes stepped down as party leader on July 24, 2023. He was widely recognized for helping the Red Party become a more mainstream political force in Norway.

Marie Sneve Martinussen's Leadership (2023–Present)

Marie Sneve Martinussen has been the party's leader since July 2023. She had previously served as deputy leader since 2012. In April 2024, a committee recommended her for the permanent leadership role, and she was confirmed in May 2024.

Under her leadership, the party has aimed to reach even more people and strengthen trust in democracy. In late 2024, she announced that the Red Party was open to joining a government agreement after the 2025 Norwegian parliamentary election. In that election, the party increased its number of seats in the Storting to nine, marking its best result ever. For the 2025–2029 term, the Red Party supports the Labour minority government.

Red Youth: The Party's Youth Wing

The Red Party has a youth organization called Red Youth. It was founded in 1963, even before the Red Party itself. The current leader of Red Youth is Amrit Kaur.

Red Youth was very supportive when the older parties merged to form the Red Party. They felt it was easier to be a youth group under one main party.

Sometimes, there have been discussions about differences between older and younger members in the party. Some younger members felt that older members, who had been there since the beginning, had too much control. This led to some discussions about how to make the party more welcoming for everyone.

Election Results

The Red Party has participated in many elections in Norway. Here's a look at some of their results:

In the 2007 Norwegian local elections, the Red Party won 2.1% of the votes. After these elections, Knut Henning Thygesen became the party's first mayor in the municipality of Risør.

In the 2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, the party received 1.3% of the votes. This was not enough to win any seats in the national parliament.

The party continued to grow over the years. In the 2017 Norwegian parliamentary election, the Red Party finally won its first seat in the Storting. Party leader Bjørnar Moxnes was elected from Oslo.

In the 2021 Norwegian parliamentary election, the Red Party achieved 4.6% of the votes. This secured them eight seats in parliament. Four years later, in the 2025 Norwegian parliamentary election, their vote share increased to 5.3%, and they gained one more seat, bringing their total to nine Members of Parliament.

Storting Election Results

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Status
2009	Torstein Dahle	36,219	1.3	0 / 169	New	8th	Extra-parliamentary
2013	Bjørnar Moxnes	30,751	1.1	0 / 169		9th	Extra-parliamentary
2017		70,522	2.4	1 / 169	1	9th	Opposition
2021		135,574	4.7	8 / 169	7	6th	Opposition
2025	Marie Sneve Martinussen	171,342	5.3	9 / 169	1	6th	External support

Local Election Results

Party Meetings

Party Leaders

No.	Portrait	Leader	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Torstein Dahle	February 2007	30 May 2010	3 years, 118 days
2		Turid Thomassen	30 May 2010	6 May 2012	1 year, 342 days
3		Bjørnar Moxnes	6 May 2012	24 July 2023	11 years, 79 days
4		Marie Sneve Martinussen	24 July 2023	Incumbent	2 years, 267 days

See also

In Spanish: Partido Rojo para niños