AMN/ WEB DESK
In Norway, voting has begun in several large cities in parliamentary elections after a race dominated by the future of oil and the climate crisis. The official election day is Monday for the 169-member Parliament, but polling got underway on Sunday in the capital Oslo, the main oil city Stavanger and Arctic town Bodo, among others.
More than a third of the electorate have already cast their votes in advance.
The future of oil in western Europe’s largest petroleum producer has dominated the run-up to the polls as small parties demanded Norway take more dramatic action to combat climate change.
The ruling Conservatives, led by Prime Minister Erna Solberg, and the opposition Labor Party, which is leading in opinion polls, both advocate for a gradual move away from the fossil fuels that continue to underpin the economy.
But the larger parties rarely rule alone in Norway; smaller players are usually required to build a majority coalition, and they can have an outsize influence on the government agenda.