Norwegian People's Party
Encyclopedia
The Norwegian People's Party is a political party in Norway
which was founded in 1999. The party is led by Oddbjørn Jonstad
, a former local leader of the Progress Party
who was expelled from the party following some controversial proposals he made on immigration-issues. The party contested the 2001 election in all counties, but in 2003 in only one; a lack of resources led Jonstad himself to head a local Democrats list instead. The NFP gained little support in these elections, and has not contested an election since.
chapter of the Progress Party, who was suspended from the party following his proposal to put refugees and asylum seekers in state-owned camps, and to deny children of refugees from attending Norwegian schools. He was still on top of the Progress Party electoral list for the 1999 local elections
, but enough Progress Party voters had written him off the list so that he was not elected. He was expelled from the party after the election, as he had worked to create a new party. The NFP was founded in December 1999, and Jonstad was chosen as the party's first leader at its national convention in Risør
in August 2000.
The party contested the 2001 parliamentary election
in all counties of Norway, but received a mere 0.1% of the vote. Following a failed merger of the party with the National Alliance
, the NFP was registered in its current state on 24 August 2002. The party had also planned to merge with the Fatherland Party
, but according to Jonstad, the latter party's leader Harald Trefall
had made organisational demands he refused to agree on. While still leader of the party, Jonstad ran for the 2003 local elections
as head of the Democrats' list in Oppegård, as the NFP only had resources to contest the election in Rogaland
. The party did not contest the 2005 parliamentary election
.
In 2008, the party filed suit against the Ny Tid
magazine for publishing an alleged racist article by Ali Farah, and in 2009 reported various people to the police who had helped an Iranian who had lost her Norwegian residence permit back to Norway.
. The party is also sceptical of international organisations, and wants to re-consider Norway's membership of organisations such as the United Nations
, NATO and the Schengen agreement
. It also wants to limit public authority and bureaucracy "as much as possible," and to introduce binding referendum
s in "important questions".
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
which was founded in 1999. The party is led by Oddbjørn Jonstad
Oddbjørn Jonstad
Oddbjørn Jonstad is a Norwegian politician. He started his political career in 1987 as an Oppegård municipal councillor for the Progress Party, and became the leader of the local chapter in 1995...
, a former local leader of the Progress Party
Progress Party (Norway)
The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist...
who was expelled from the party following some controversial proposals he made on immigration-issues. The party contested the 2001 election in all counties, but in 2003 in only one; a lack of resources led Jonstad himself to head a local Democrats list instead. The NFP gained little support in these elections, and has not contested an election since.
History
The party was founded by Oddbjørn Jonstad, the former chairman of the OppegårdOppegård
Oppegård is a village and municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Follo. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kolbotn. The new municipality of Oppegård was separated from the municipality of Nesodden on 1 July 1915...
chapter of the Progress Party, who was suspended from the party following his proposal to put refugees and asylum seekers in state-owned camps, and to deny children of refugees from attending Norwegian schools. He was still on top of the Progress Party electoral list for the 1999 local elections
Norwegian local elections, 1999
Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway in 1999. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently.-Municipal elections:...
, but enough Progress Party voters had written him off the list so that he was not elected. He was expelled from the party after the election, as he had worked to create a new party. The NFP was founded in December 1999, and Jonstad was chosen as the party's first leader at its national convention in Risør
Risør
is a city and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. The city belongs to the traditional region of Sørlandet. It is a popular tourist place. The surrounding area includes many small lakes and hills, and is known for its beautiful coastline as well....
in August 2000.
The party contested the 2001 parliamentary election
Norwegian parliamentary election, 2001
A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on September 10, 2001. The Labour Party won a plurality of votes and seats, closely followed by the Conservative Party...
in all counties of Norway, but received a mere 0.1% of the vote. Following a failed merger of the party with the National Alliance
National Alliance (Norway)
The National Alliance was a Norwegian political party which was founded on 25 February 1999.-History:The two main forces behind the party was Arnljot Moseng and Kjell Tore Vogsland . Both of these, along with vice leaders Kenneth Hartmann and Tore Petersen had a past in the Fatherland Party...
, the NFP was registered in its current state on 24 August 2002. The party had also planned to merge with the Fatherland Party
Fatherland Party (Norway)
The Fatherland Party was a political party in Norway, which was founded by former local Progress Party politician Harald Trefall in 1990. Primarily based in Western Norway, the party supported nationalist positions such as opposition to immigration and the European Union...
, but according to Jonstad, the latter party's leader Harald Trefall
Harald Trefall
Harald Trefall was a Norwegian professor of experimental physics and later politician. He graduated from and worked at the University of Bergen, where he focused his work on cosmic radiation, and held a Ph.D. from the University of Oslo...
had made organisational demands he refused to agree on. While still leader of the party, Jonstad ran for the 2003 local elections
Norwegian local elections, 2003
Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway on September 15, 2003. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently. In addition, several municipalities held direct mayoral...
as head of the Democrats' list in Oppegård, as the NFP only had resources to contest the election in Rogaland
Rogaland
is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...
. The party did not contest the 2005 parliamentary election
Norwegian parliamentary election, 2005
Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on 12 September 2005. More than 3.4 million Norwegians were eligible for vote for the Storting, the parliament of Norway. The new Storting has 169 members, an increase of four over the 2001 election....
.
In 2008, the party filed suit against the Ny Tid
Ny Tid
Ny Tid is Norway's only international news magazine, published in Newsweek-format every Friday. Politically, its history and editorial line is on the left side of the political spectrum and, until its recent sale, it was founded and owned by the Socialist Left Party of Norway...
magazine for publishing an alleged racist article by Ali Farah, and in 2009 reported various people to the police who had helped an Iranian who had lost her Norwegian residence permit back to Norway.
Political profile
The foremost issue for the party is opposition to immigrationImmigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
. The party is also sceptical of international organisations, and wants to re-consider Norway's membership of organisations such as the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, NATO and the Schengen agreement
Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed on 14 June 1985 near the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, between five of the ten member states of the European Economic Community. It was supplemented by the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement 5 years later...
. It also wants to limit public authority and bureaucracy "as much as possible," and to introduce binding referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
s in "important questions".