Progress Party
Fremskrittspartiet |
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Abbreviation | FrP |
Leader | Siv Jensen |
Parliamentary leader | Harald T. Nesvik |
Founded | 8 April 1973 |
Headquarters |
Karl Johans gate 25 0159 Oslo |
Newspaper | Fremskritt |
Youth wing | Progress Party’s Youth |
Membership | 16,342 (2014) |
Ideology |
Conservative liberalism Economic liberalism Right-wing populism Euroscepticism |
Political position | Right-wing |
European affiliation | None |
International affiliation | None |
Colours | Blue (dark blue) |
Storting |
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County Councils |
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Municipal Councils |
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Sami Parliament |
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Website | |
frp.no | |
The Progress Party (Bokmål: Fremskrittspartiet, Nynorsk: Framstegspartiet, FrP) is a political party in Norway which identifies as classical liberal (libertarian) and conservative-liberal. Academics broadly categorise the party as neoliberal (moderate or non-radical) populist, while the party itself, Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg, centrist parties, and some scholars reject any comparison with foreign right-wing populist parties. In coalition with the Conservative Party, the party won the 2013 parliamentary election and entered into its first ever government.
Founded by Anders Lange in 1973 as an anti-tax protest movement, the party values individual freedom strongly, supports market liberalism, and advocates downsizing bureaucracy and the public sector, while also proposing increased spending of Norway's public Oil Fund to invest in infrastructure, rejecting the notion of the "budgetary rule". The party also seek a more restrictive immigration policy and tougher integration and law and order measures. In foreign policy it is strongly Atlanticist, and pro-globalization. After being neutral on Norwegian membership in the European Union for many years, the party in 2016 officially adopted a position opposing Norwegian membership. Long-time chairman Carl I. Hagen was from 1978 to 2006 the undisputed leader of the party, and in many ways personally controlled the ideology and direction of the party; most notably demonstrated by effectively expelling the most radical libertarian faction in 1994, and anti-immigration populists in 2001. The current leader of the party is Siv Jensen, who since 2013 is also Norway's Minister of Finance.