# 2001 Norwegian parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on 9 and 10 September 2001. The governing Labour Party lost seats and their vote share was the worst they had ever obtained in a post-war election. Although they still won a plurality of votes and seats, they were unable to form a government. Instead, a centre-right coalition of the Conservative Party, the Christian Democratic Party and Liberal Party was formed, led by Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik of the Christian Democratic Party, with confidence and supply support from the Progress Party.

## Contesting parties

| Name | Name | Name | Ideology | Position | Leader | 1997 result | 1997 result |
| Name | Name | Name | Ideology | Position | Leader | Votes (%) | Seats |
| | Ap | Labour Party Arbeiderpartiet | Social democracy | Centre-left | Thorbjørn Jagland | 35.0% | 65 / 165 |
| | FrP | Progress Party Fremskrittspartiet | Conservative liberalism | Right-wing | Carl I. Hagen | 15.3% | 25 / 165 |
| | H | Conservative Party Høyre | Conservatism | Centre-right | Jan Petersen | 14.3% | 23 / 165 |
| | KrF | Christian Democratic Party Kristelig Folkeparti | Christian democracy | Centre to centre-right | Kjell Magne Bondevik | 13.6% | 25 / 165 |
| | Sp | Centre Party Senterpartiet | Agrarianism | Centre | Odd Roger Enoksen | 7.9% | 11 / 165 |
| | SV | Socialist Left Party Sosialistisk Venstreparti | Democratic socialism | Left-wing | Kristin Halvorsen | 6.0% | 9 / 165 |
| | V | Liberal Party Venstre | Social liberalism | Centre | Lars Sponheim | 4.4% | 6 / 165 |
| | Kp | Coastal Party Kystpartiet | Northern-regionalism | Centre to centre-right | Steinar Bastesen | new | 1 / 165 |

## Campaign
### Slogans

| Party | Party | Original slogan | English translation |
| | Labour Party | "Hvis velferd er viktigst" | "If welfare is the most important" |
| | Progress Party | "For folk flest" | "For most people" |
| | Christian Democratic Party | "Varmere samfunn" | "Warmer society" |
| | Conservative Party | "Ny kurs. Nye muligheter" | "New course, new opportunities" |
| | Centre Party | "Ta Norge i bruk" | "Use Norway" |
| | Socialist Left Party | "Barn og unge først" | "Children and young people first" |
| | Liberal Party | "Du er sjefen" | "You’re the boss" |
| | Red Electoral Alliance | "Opprørsvalg" | "Riot election (rebellion)" |
| Sources: ||||

## Opinion polls

Polls are indicated by share of votes in percentage, or by seats indicated by brackets. The Progress Party saw the most surprising changes in support, having achieved as high as 34.7% in September 2000, and in 2001 almost closing down to 10% at the lowest. The Labour Party and Conservative Party also varied greatly in support in the years before the election.
| Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample size | RV | SV | Ap | Sp | V | KrF | H | FrP | Others | Lead |
| 2001 election | 9–10 September 2001 | – | 1.2 | 12.5 | 24.3 | 5.6 | 3.9 | 12.4 | 21.2 | 14.6 | 4.3 | 3.1 |
| Norsk Gallup | September 2001 | – | – | 15.0 | 25.5 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 11.0 | 25.5 | 11.5 | – | Tie |
| AC Nielsen Norge | September 2001 | – | 1.2 | 12.2 | 24.9 | 5.0 | 3.4 | 14.8 | 21.7 | 13.5 | 3.3 | 3.2 |
| MMI | September 2001 | – | 1.1 | 12.0 | 26.2 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 11.7 | 22.9 | 14.0 | 3.5 | 3.3 |
| Norsk Gallup | 27 Aug-2 Sep 2000 | 993 | – | 14.0 | 26.5 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 11.0 | 23.5 | 12.0 | – | 3.0 |
| MMI | 18 Aug 2001 | – | 0.9 | 8.9 | 26.4 | 5.0 | 2.9 | 13.2 | 26.6 | 14.2 | 1.8 | 0.2 |
| MMI | June 2001 | – | 1.0 | 7.7 | 24.0 | 6.2 | 1.9 | 12.7 | 30.9 | 14.0 | 1.7 | 6.9 |
| Norsk Gallup | April 2001 | – | – | 10.0 | 31.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 13.5 | 20.5 | 11.0 | 3.5 | 10.5 |
| Din Mening/Norsk Statistikk | March 2001 | – | 1.5 | 9.7 | 30.4 | 7.6 | 3.8 | 14.4 | 18.4 | 13.7 | – | 12.0 |
| Norsk Gallup | March 2001 | – | – | 10.0 | 29.0 | 5.5 | 3.5 | 9.0 | 22.0 | 17.5 | 1.5 | 7.0 |
| Din Mening/Norsk Statistikk | February 2001 | – | 1.3 | 7.1 | 30.6 | 7.1 | 3.4 | 13.0 | 17.8 | 18.5 | – | 12.1 |
| Norsk Gallup | 12 May 2000 | – | – | 7.5 | 27.5 | 5.5 | 2.5 | 13.0 | 17.5 | 23.5 | – | 4.0 |
| Norsk Gallup | Nov 2000 | – | – | 10.0 | 24.5 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 11.5 | 17.0 | 27.0 | – | 2.5 |
| Opinion | 13 Oct 2000 | – | – | – | 22.7 | 4.4 | 2.7 | 12.8 | 16.0 | 29.8 | – | 7.1 |
| AC Nielsen | 29 Sep 2000 | – | – | 8.0 | 25.5 | 4.9 | 3.3 | 10.8 | 10.6 | 34.7 | – | 9.2 |
| Norsk Gallup | 5 Sep 2000 | – | 2.0 | 9.0 | 24.0 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 12.0 | 17.5 | 28.0 | – | 4.0 |
| Nationen | Aug 2000 | – | – | 7.8 | 22.1 | 6.6 | 3.5 | 16.4 | 14.9 | 24.8 | – | 2.7 |
| Opinion | 25 Aug 2000 | – | – | 9.9 | 27.2 | – | 4.5 | 11.8 | 15.4 | 22.5 | – | 4.7 |
| Norsk Gallup | August 2000 | – | 2.5 | 8.5 | 29.0 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 11.0 | 19.0 | 22.5 | – | 6.5 |
| Nationen | July 2000 | – | – | 8.3 | 29.2 | 6.9 | 2.3 | 13.5 | 14.4 | 23.2 | – | 6.0 |
| MMI | 5-8 Jun 2000 | 902 | 0.8 | 6.7 | 32.8 | 5.8 | 2.9 | 12.8 | 17.9 | 19.4 | 1.0 | 13.4 |
| MMI | May 2000 | – | 1.7 | 7.7 | 38.8 | 4.9 | 3.5 | 13.0 | 12.3 | 16.7 | 1.5 | 22.1 |
| 1997 election | 15 Sep 1997 | – | 1.7 | 6.0 | 35.0 | 7.9 | 4.5 | 13.7 | 14.3 | 15.3 | 1.6 | 2.4 |

## Results

| | Labour Party | 612,632 | 24.29 | 43 | –22 |
| | Conservative Party | 534,852 | 21.21 | 38 | +15 |
| | Progress Party | 369,236 | 14.64 | 26 | +1 |
| | Socialist Left Party | 316,397 | 12.55 | 23 | +14 |
| | Christian Democratic Party | 312,839 | 12.41 | 22 | –3 |
| | Centre Party | 140,287 | 5.56 | 10 | –1 |
| | Liberal Party | 98,486 | 3.91 | 2 | –4 |
| | Coastal Party | 44,010 | 1.75 | 1 | New |
| | Red Electoral Alliance | 30,015 | 1.19 | 0 | 0 |
| | The Political Party | 19,457 | 0.77 | 0 | New |
| | Pensioners' Party | 17,940 | 0.71 | 0 | 0 |
| | Christian Unity Party | 6,731 | 0.27 | 0 | New |
| | Environment Party The Greens | 3,785 | 0.15 | 0 | 0 |
| | Sørland List | 2,407 | 0.10 | 0 | New |
| | Fatherland Party | 2,353 | 0.09 | 0 | 0 |
| | Hospital List | 2,141 | 0.08 | 0 | New |
| | Communist Party | 1,726 | 0.07 | 0 | 0 |
| | Norwegian People's Party | 1,609 | 0.06 | 0 | New |
| | Non-Partisan Coastal and Rural District Party | 1,052 | 0.04 | 0 | 0 |
| | People's Action No to More Road Tolls | 692 | 0.03 | 0 | New |
| | Sámi People's Party | 564 | 0.02 | 0 | New |
| | Oslo List | 396 | 0.02 | 0 | New |
| | Hordaland List | 389 | 0.02 | 0 | New |
| | Social Democrats [no] | 351 | 0.01 | 0 | New |
| | Natural Law Party [no] | 269 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 |
| | Sørland List Aust-Agder | 211 | 0.01 | 0 | New |
| | Østfold List | 179 | 0.01 | 0 | New |
| | Oppland List | 170 | 0.01 | 0 | New |
| | Liberal People's Party | 166 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 |
| | Justice Party [no] | 138 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 |
| | Nordland List | 111 | 0.00 | 0 | New |
| | Hedmark List | 93 | 0.00 | 0 | New |
| | Tromsø List | 70 | 0.00 | 0 | New |
| | Society Party | 66 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 2,521,820 | 100.00 | 165 | 0 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 2,521,820 | 99.38 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 15,813 | 0.62 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 2,537,633 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 3,359,433 | 75.54 | | |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver, Storting ||||||

### Voter demographics

| Cohort | Percentage of cohort voting for | Percentage of cohort voting for | Percentage of cohort voting for | Percentage of cohort voting for | Percentage of cohort voting for | Percentage of cohort voting for | Percentage of cohort voting for | Percentage of cohort voting for |
| Cohort | Ap | H | FrP | Sv | KrF | Sp | V | Others |
| Total vote | 24.29% | 21.21% | 14.64% | 12.55% | 12.41% | 5.56% | 3.91% | |
| Gender |||||||||
| Females | 26.2% | 19% | 10.9% | 15.4% | 5.5% | 5.5% | 3.4% | |
| Males | 22.5% | 23.2% | 18.3% | 9.8% | 5.7% | 5.7% | 4.4% | |
| Age |||||||||
| 18–30 years old | 16.2% | 22.4% | 14.5% | 21.2% | 9.1% | 3.7% | 3.7% | |
| 30-59 years old | 25.1% | 23.2% | 12.6% | 13.3% | 11.6% | 5.6% | 4.2% | |
| 60 years old and older | 27.2% | 15.7% | 19.6% | 5.4% | 16.4% | 6.4% | 3.4% | |
| Work |||||||||
| low income | 23.6% | 13.8% | 17% | 14.4% | 15.4% | 6.7% | 2.8% | |
| Average income | 22.8% | 20.7% | 14.8% | 12.9% | 12.7% | 6.3% | 3.6% | |
| High income | 26.5% | 29.2% | 10.8% | 11% | 9.7% | 3.7% | 5.5% | |
| Education |||||||||
| Primary school | 27.7% | 12.3% | 24.5% | 7.5% | 12.3% | 5.9% | 1.6% | |
| High school | 24.7% | 21.9% | 15% | 11.4% | 13.1% | 6.6% | 2.6% | |
| University/college | 22.1% | 24.1% | 7.8% | 17.9% | 11.3% | 3.4% | 8.3% | |
| Source: Norwegian Institute for Social Research |||||||||

### Seat distribution

| Constituency | Total seats | Seats won | Seats won | Seats won | Seats won | Seats won | Seats won | Seats won | Seats won | Seats won | Seats won |
| Constituency | Total seats | By party | By party | By party | By party | By party | By party | By party | | By coalition | By coalition |
| Constituency | Total seats | Ap | H | FrP | SV | KrF | Sp | V | KP | Borgerlig | Red-green |
| Akershus | 15 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | | | 9 | 6 |
| Aust-Agder | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | 1 | | | | 3 | 1 |
| Buskerud | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | 4 | 3 |
| Finnmark | 4 | 2 | 1 | | 1 | | | | | 1 | 3 |
| Hedmark | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | 3 | 5 |
| Hordaland | 17 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | | 11 | 6 |
| Møre og Romsdal | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | | | 6 | 4 |
| Nord-Trøndelag | 6 | 2 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | 2 | 4 |
| Nordland | 12 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Oppland | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | 1 | | | 2 | 5 |
| Oslo | 16 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | | 1 | | 9 | 7 |
| Østfold | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | | | | 5 | 3 |
| Rogaland | 11 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | | | 7 | 4 |
| Sogn og Fjordane | 5 | 1 | 1 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | 2 | 3 |
| Sør-Trøndelag | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | | | 4 | 6 |
| Telemark | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | 3 | 3 |
| Troms | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | 3 | 3 |
| Vest-Agder | 5 | 1 | 2 | | | 2 | | | | 4 | 1 |
| Vestfold | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | | | | 5 | 3 |
| Total | 165 | 43 | 38 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 89 | 76 |
| Source: Statistics Norway |||||||||||||