Centre Party (Norway)
|
Centre Party
Senterpartiet |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Leader | Trygve Slagsvold Vedum |
| Parliamentary leader | Marit Arnstad |
| Founded | 19 May 1920 (96 years ago) |
| Headquarters | Akersgata 35, Oslo |
| Youth wing | Centre Youth |
| Membership | 15,000 (2013) |
| Ideology |
Centrism Agrarianism Euroscepticism |
| Political position | Centre |
| European affiliation | None |
| International affiliation | None |
| Colours | Green |
| Storting |
10 / 169
|
| County Councils |
79 / 728
|
| Municipal / City Councils |
1,774 / 10,781
|
| Sami Parliament |
0 / 39
|
| Website | |
| www.senterpartiet.no | |
The Centre Party (Norwegian: Senterpartiet, Sp) is an agrarian and centristpolitical party in Norway Founded in 1920, as a Nordic agrarian party, the Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.
From its founding until 2000, the party joined only governments not led by the Labour Party, but in 2005 changed its allegiance and joined the Red-Green Coalition government led by the Labour Party.
Since 1972, the Centre Party has opposed Norwegian membership of the European Union, as well as supporting Norway's withdrawal from the European Economic Area and the Schengen Agreement.
The party was founded at the national convention of the Norsk Landmandsforbund during 17 to 19 June 1920, when it was decided by the association to run for the 1921 parliamentary election. In 1922 the association was renamed to the Norwegian Agrarian Association, and the political activity of the group was separated as the Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet).
During the eight decades since the Centre Party was created as a political faction of a Norwegian agrarian organisation, the party has changed a great deal. Only a few years after the creation the party broke with its mother organisation and started developing a policy based on decentralisation, moving away from a single-minded agrarian policy, like that which has trapped many other European Centre Parties' conduct.
The 1930s have in the post-war era been seen as a controversial time in the party's history. This is partly because Vidkun Quisling, who later became leader of Nasjonal Samling, was Minister of Defence in the Farmers Party Kolstad and Hundseid cabinets from 1931-1933. Quisling was however not a member of the Farmers Party. While there were fascist sympaties among parts of the Farmers Party's electorate, the Farmers Party itself never supported fascism. It was after all the Farmers Party that enabled the first stable Labour cabinet in Norway. In 1935, they reached a compromise with the Labour Party, which led to the Nygaardsvold Cabinet. In addition, the Farmers Party was represented in the war-time cabinet by Anders Fjeldstad, who served as a consultative concillor of state. Political scientist Trond Nordby in 2009 also said that the Farmers' Party has been given an undeservably bad reputation from this time, and that the party was not really "as dark brown as some claim".
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Wikipedia