Venstre (Norway)

Venstre Liberals
Party leader	Trine Skei Grande
vice-chairman	1. Ola Elvestuen 2. Terje Breivik
founding	1884
Headquarters	Oslo
Youth organization	Unge Venstre
Alignment	Liberalism Left Liberalism Green Politics
Colours)	green
Parliament seats	8/169 ( 2017 )
Number of members	7,057 (2017)
International connections	Liberal International (LI)
European party	Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)
Website	www.venstre.no

Share of votes from Venstre by provinces ( Storting election 2009 ). The Liberals only passed the 4 percent hurdle in Oslo , Akershus , Rogaland and Hordaland .

Venstre (V) (literally Left , common name Liberals ) is a social liberal party in Norway . It was founded on January 28, 1884, making it the country's oldest party.

The current basic program «Freedom and Community» describes the vision of a social and liberal knowledge society in which everyone has the freedom and the opportunity to find their own path to a better life, a society in which people take responsibility for one another and for the environment take over.

program

The 2013 election program focused on four main areas: education, environmental protection, business start-up support and social welfare.

• Education - Systematic after-school and advanced training for teachers. Introduction of a 5-year teacher training course. More time for lessons instead of documentation requirements. Increase research grants for universities and other research centers to three percent of GDP .
• Environmental protection - Norway is to be developed from an oil nation into an environmental pioneer. Promotion of renewable energies. Emission-free public transport . Implementation of the goals of the Kyoto Protocol . Green tax reform: relief of the labor factor, burden of environmentally harmful consumption.
• Startup entrepreneurs - Protection of the legal status of small business owners and entrepreneurs / startups. Simplification of the rules. Engage private social entrepreneurs in schools, education, healthcare, and probation. State venture capital funds to promote business start-ups. Abolition of property and inheritance tax.
• Social welfare - Let local authorities take on greater responsibility for the health and welfare system. Strengthen prevention and rehabilitation. More time for patients instead of documentation.

The party also represents the following positions, among others:

• Immigration and integration - Nations and societies need both the cultural and the economic stimulus that comes from immigration: “A diverse society is a good society.” The prerequisite for this is the will for full integration on both sides.
• Regional funding - The state must continue to develop the infrastructure in rural regions and remote parts of Norway. New jobs are to be created in the periphery .
• Foreign Policy - More Equitable Global Distribution. Strengthening democracy and human rights worldwide. Commitment to freedom and civil rights even where Norwegian business and trade interests could be affected.
• Culture - Art and culture form the basis for the development of the individual and society as a whole. Neither state or municipal agencies nor the forces of the free market should be allowed to determine cultural development alone.

The 2017 election program focused on education, sustainability, digitization, inclusion and international engagement in 21 chapters.

Election results for Storting since 1945

Election year	percent	Seats
1945	13.8	20th
1949	13.1	21st
1953	10.0	15th
1957	9.7	15th
1961	8.8	14th
1965	10.4	18th
1969	9.4	13
1973	3.5	2
1977	3.2	2
1981	3.9	2
1985	3.1	-
1989	3.2	-
1993	3.6	1
1997	4.4	6th
2001	3.9	2
2005	5.9	10
2009	3.9	2
2013	5.2	9
2017	4.4	8th

history

The founding of the Venstre party in 1884 coincided with the introduction of parliamentary democracy in Norway. In the early phase of the party, the connection between the radical peasant politician Søren Jaabæk and the moderate Johan Sverdrup played a crucial role. The Liberals were among the leading forces in the struggle for universal and equal suffrage . In terms of foreign policy, Venstre sought a quick dissolution of the union with Sweden.

As early as 1888, the "Moderate Venstre" split off and formed a third parliamentary group in Storting. On the one hand, the party had its roots in the abstinence movement ; on the other hand in Lars Oftedal's Lutheran Inner Mission . When Oftedal allied with the conservative Høyre in 1891 , many MPs returned to the Venstre. The moderates advocated a gradual separation of Norway from the union with Sweden. When Høyre gave up its adherence to the Union, the “Moderate Venstre” merged with it to form the “Collection Party”, which in 1905 became the “Freethinking Venstre”. In 1933 the name was changed to "Free People's Party" and in 1945 it was abandoned for the old name Høyre.

In 1933 the Christian People's Party split from Venstre. In 1972 the Liberal People's Party ( Det liberale Folkeparti , DLF) , which advocated joining the EEC, split off. In 1988 DLF and Venstre were reunited.

In the post-war period, Venstre participated in six governments, from 2001 to 2005 as the smallest party in a center-right coalition with the Conservatives and the Christian People's Party . Since 2013 it has been part of the parliamentary foundation of the Solberg minority government . It was not until January 17, 2018 that three Venstre ministers entered the cabinet.

Party leader

• 1884   Johan Sverdrup
• 1884-1889 Ole Anton Qvam
• 1889-1893 Johannes Steen
• 1893-1894 Viggo Ullmann
• 1894-1896 Ole Anton Qvam
• 1898–1900 Viggo Ullmann
• 1900–1903 Lars Holst
• 1903–1909 Carl Berner
• 1909–1927 Gunnar Knudsen
• 1927–1940 Johan Ludwig Mowinckel
• 1945–1952 Jacob S. Worm-Müller
• 1952–1964 Bent Røiseland
• 1964-1970 Gunnar Garbo
• 1970–1972 Helge Seip
• 1972–1974 Helge Rognlien
• 1974–1976 Eva Kolstad
• 1976–1982 Hans Hammond Rossbach
• 1982–1986 Odd Einar Dørum
• 1986–1990 Arne Fjørtoft
• 1990-1992 Håvard Alstadheim
• 1992–1996 Odd Einar Dørum
• 1996-2010 Lars Sponheim
• since 2010   Trine Skei Grande

Prime Minister

Venstre appointed six Norwegian Prime Ministers, all before 1935.

• Johan Sverdrup , 1884–1889
• Johannes Steen , 1891–1893 and 1898–1902
• Otto Blehr , 1902–1903 and 1921–1923
• Jørgen Løvland , 1907–1908
• Gunnar Knudsen , 1908–1910 and 1913–1920
• Johan Ludwig Mowinckel , 1924–1926, 1928–1931 and 1933–1935

Government holdings

• Lyng government , 1963
• Government Borten , 1965–1971
• Korvald Government , 1972–1973
• Bondevik I government , 1997-2000
• Bondevik II government , 2001–2005
• Government of Solberg , since 2018

See also

• liberalism
• History of liberal parties

Web links

• Venstre Official Website (Norwegian)
• Contents in English

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Own information KrF og Venstre miziert over 2,000 medlemmer på ett år Aftenposten, January 11, 2018, accessed on November 3, 2018.
2. ↑ Frihet and Fellesskap. Venstres prinsipprogram website of the party, accessed November 3, 2018.
3. ^ Election program 2013 (Norwegian), accessed on November 3, 2018.
4. ↑ Election program 2017 (PDF, Norwegian), accessed on November 3, 2018.