Norway's red-green coalition remains in office

Norway's red-green coalition remains in officeOslo  - Norway's red-green coalition managed to buck recent political trends in the Scandinavian country and was returned to another four-year term in office Monday in a close vote.

The election saw gains for Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg's Labour Party, the main force in the red-green coalition. Labour's results countered a drop for one of the coalition's junior partners, the Socialist Left Party.

The ruling coalition was on 86 seats, according to Statistic Norway's projections with 97 per cent of the vote counted.

Stoltenberg waited until after midnight (2200 GMT) before addressing members of his Labour Party, who chanted "four more years."

In his remarks, Stoltenberg thanked the party's supporters, his coalition partners and Norwegian voters for exercising their votes, adding that he hoped the final vote count would stand.

The tallies suggested the government had retained a majority in the 169-seat legislature, despite dropping a seat.

The 50-year-old Stoltenberg formed his coalition in 2005 and managed to secure a new four-year term for his Labour Party, the Centre Party and the Socialist Left Party.

The Labour Party remained the largest party in Parliament and was projected to win 64 seats, up three seats from 2005.

The tallies suggested the Centre Party would keep its 11 seats while the Socialist Left Party dropped four seats to 11.

It was the first time in 16 years that a Norwegian government was returned to office.

"It looks like it will be a red-green majority," Socialist Left Party leader Kristin Halvorsen, finance minister since 2005, told party members shortly before midnight (2200 GMT).

Turnout was estimated at 70 per cent among the some 3.5 million eligible voters. Participation in 2005 was 77.4 per cent.

The main challengers to the Stoltenberg-led coalition were the Progress Party of right-wing populist Siv Jensen and the conservative party led by Erna Solberg.

Solberg was credited with running a strong campaign and saw her party gain some 3 percentage points to 17 per cent.

"We have won the elections," Solberg said as her party gained seven seats, but said she had also hoped for a new government.

However, the smaller Christian Democrats and Liberal Party lost support compared to 2005. Liberal Party leader Lars Sponheim said he would step down in the spring. Both parties expressed reservations against the Progress Party's calls for tighter immigration rules.

"I am proud the Progress Party made its best result ever," Jensen said after the party secured its position as second strongest party with 41 seats, up three seats.

Jensen said her party and the conservatives had gained support because they had wanted to cooperate, unlike the smaller non- socialist parties.

She campaigned on tighter immigration rules and spending more of Norway's oil wealth.

Main election issues included the size of social expenditures, especially on education, and whether oil and gas drilling should be allowed in sensitive areas off Norway's north-western coast. (dpa)