Right Leads in Norway One Week before Election

Norway's center-right opposition, including a populist anti-immigration party, holds a strong lead over the ruling center-left coalition one week ahead of a general election, two opinion polls indicated on Monday.

A survey published in the online edition of daily Verdens Gang credited the Conservative party, led by Erna Solberg, and its prospective allies, the populist Progress Party and two smaller center-right parties, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals, with 55.6 percent of voter support.

If that score were to be confirmed on voting day September 9, the center-right would obtain 98 of 169 seats in parliament, much more than the 85 seats required to hold an absolute majority.

Meanwhile, incumbent Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg's Labor Party and his two coalition parties, the Socialist Left and Center parties, were seen garnering just 38.4 percent and 68 seats.

Another poll published by television channel TV2 showed a similar spread, with the center-right credited with 95 seats and 73 for the center-left. The only difference is that in the TV2 poll, Labor would remain the largest party ahead of the Conservatives.

In government since 2005, the center-left coalition is seen as suffering from power fatigue and has failed to rally enough extra support since the beginning of the campaign.

The four right-wing parties are united in their wish to oust Stoltenberg, but have left unanswered any questions about what their government program and coalition would look like, as that would be hammered out depending on how much voter support each party obtains in the election.

For Norway, a prosperous economy thanks to oil from the North Sea, the campaign is essentially oriented around health care, education and taxes.

The first poll, conducted by InFact, questioned 2,021 people on August 31-September 1, while the second one was carried out TNS Gallup and surveyed 1,494 people from August 28-30.