Fatherland Party (Norway)

Last updated
Fatherland Party
Fedrelandspartiet
Leader Arild Kibsgaard
Founder Harald Trefall
Founded17 May 1990
Dissolved31 December 2008
Headquarters Bergen [1]
Youth wing Fatherland Youth
Ideology Norwegian nationalism
Social conservatism
Euroscepticism
Nordic affiliation NordNat (1997–99)
ColoursRed, White, Blue
Website
www.fedrelandspartiet.no (defunct)

The Fatherland Party (Norwegian : Fedrelandspartiet, FLP) was a political party in Norway, which was founded by former local Progress Party politician Harald Trefall in 1990. Primarily based in Western Norway, the party supported nationalist positions such as opposition to immigration and the European Union. It got two representatives elected to public office in the 1991 local elections, in a county and municipal council respectively. The party never won representation since, and was dissolved in 2008 after years of electoral inactivity.

Contents

History

The FLP was founded on 17 May 1990 by Harald Trefall, a member of Folkebevegelsen mot innvandring (FMI) and former Bergen city councillor for the Progress Party. He became noted in the late 1980s for his opposition to immigration, [2] [3] and was the first candidate for the Stop Immigration party in Hordaland in 1989. [4] In one of the earliest notable acts by the party, it put an ad in the Christian newspaper Dagen , where it called for Christians to fight together with the party to stop Norway from becoming "a Muslim country". [5] In its first election, the 1991 local elections, it won one representative in the Karmøy municipal council, and one representative in the Hordaland county council. [2] The party won 0.5% of the vote in the 1993 parliamentary election, and combined with Stop Immigration more than 15,000 votes. [6] Trefall stepped down as leader of the party in 1994 after "six years of resistance struggle against immigration," although he would remain chairman of the party's so-called Council. [7]

In the aftermath of the 1995 Norwegian Association meeting at Godlia kino, it was revealed that Øystein Hedstrøm, Member of Parliament and Spokesperson on Immigration Issues for the Progress Party, had held long-term contacts with the FLP. There had also allegedly been talks of a joint list between the parties for the upcoming election, talks which nevertheless never went through. [8] When opinion polls had shown that the FLP could win one or two local seats in Bergen, local politicians from all the other represented parties in the city (except the Progress Party) issued a public "warning" against the party. [9] In the 1995 local elections, the FLP failed to defend its elected representatives, nor to win any new ones. [10] In Oslo, the party cooperated with the Stop Immigration party in the Fellesliste mot fremmedinnvandring , to no success. [10] When it was revealed that Jack Erik Kjuus succeeded his Stop Immigration party with the White Electoral Alliance and introduced a far more radical program, the FLP immediately distanced itself from the new program and broke all cooperation with Kjuus and his group. [11] [12] From 1997 to 1999, the FLP was part of the Nordic NordNat organisation, which included the Sweden Democrats.

In the 1997 parliamentary election, the party was reduced to 0.1% of the national vote, and was even more marginalised in the 1999 local elections. It gained competition from the new Norwegian People's Party (NFP) for the 2001 parliamentary election, [13] which left its support split between the two parties. The NFP had planned to merge with the FLP the year before, but according to the former party's leader Oddbjørn Jonstad, Trefall had made organisational demands he refused to agree on. [14] The FLP did not contest the 2005 parliamentary election, while many of its members, including its deputy chairman, rather ran for the Democrats. [15]

Political profile

The FLP was a self-described nationalist party, [16] that wanted to "preserve the national interests of Norway, and defend and develop the Christian heritage (by a democratic foundation)." [17] The party wanted Norway to remain a Norwegian nation-state, and opposed membership of the European Union as well as mass immigration, claiming both to be unconstitutional. [17] The party also claimed that the "forced introduction" of a multicultural society was a violation of the human rights of the Norwegian people in terms with the international conventions of the United Nations. The party sought a global community of independent people in their own native countries, claiming a world community of independent nations to be "the best foundation for world peace." [17] The party also wanted to strengthen the family, improve conditions for the elderly, keep a strong defence and law and order. [1]

While the party was accused by some of being "neo-Nazi" and "racist", many of its members where in fact former members of the Norwegian resistance movement during the Second World War. They included Erik Gjems-Onstad who was part of Kompani Linge , [18] and Oslo candidates Jan Høeg who was part of Milorg [19] and Arvid Austad who participated in the execution squads against convicted Nazi traitors (including Vidkun Quisling) in the legal purge after the war. [20] [21] Austad expanded on his position in 1999, by stating that he saw "clear parallels" between the Nazi invasion of Norway and "today's great immigration of Muslims." [20]

Election results

Parliamentary elections

YearResult #Result %Seats
1993 11,6940.5% #100
1997 3,8050.1% #120
2001 2,3530.1% #140

Local elections

YearCounty #County %C. seatsMunicipal #Municipal %M. seats
1991 3,7000.2%11,6000.1%1
1995 3,6440.2%01,3600.1%0
1999 1,2960.1%02270.0%0

School elections

In school elections the party generally had a greater approval rating than in ordinary ones, with its strongest county-wide result in Sogn og Fjordane in 1995 when it got 6.2% of the votes. The best country-wide school election was in 1993 when it won 2.5% of the national vote. [22] In the 1991 school elections the party received up to 30% of the votes in certain vocational upper secondary schools in Rogaland. In 1993, it received 41% of the vote at an upper secondary school in Valdres. [23]

Party leaders

Symbols

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norway Democrats</span> Norwegian political party

The Norway Democrats is a radical right national conservative and anti-globalist political party in Norway without parliamentary representation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erling Folkvord</span> Norwegian politician (1949–2024)

Erling Folkvord was a Norwegian politician for the Red Party and a member of the Parliament of Norway. A revolutionary socialist, he was one of the leading members of the Workers' Communist Party and the Red Electoral Alliance before they merged to form Red. He sat as a member of the Parliament of Norway from 1993 to 1997, becoming the first socialist to the left of the Socialist Left Party and the Labour Party in parliament since 1961. He later lost his position in 1997 and was a candidate for parliament until his death. He was a member of the Oslo City Council from 1983 to 1993, and again from 1999 to 2011. Folkvord became one of the best-known Norwegian politicians on the left who was not connected with the Labour Party and the Socialist Left Party.

Vidar Sveinung Kleppe is a Norwegian politician. He was a member of parliament and deputy leader of the Progress Party until he was suspended and left the party in 2001. He was the founder and leader of the Democrats party from 2002 to 2012, and has since 2003 held public office as a member of the Vest-Agder county council and the Kristiansand municipal council.

The Red Party is a communist political party in Norway. It was founded in March 2007 by a merger of the Red Electoral Alliance and the Workers' Communist Party. A Marxist party, it has been described as left-wing and far-left on the political spectrum. In its political programme, the Red Party sets the creation of a classless society to be its ultimate goal, which the party says is "what Karl Marx called communism". The party's other goals are replacing capitalism with socialism, an expansive public sector and nationalisation of large enterprises. It has a revolutionary socialist ideology, which aims towards new legislatures taking power on behalf of the workers, though the party does not support violent armed revolution as espoused by its predecessors in the 1970s and 1980s. It strongly opposes Norway becoming a member of the European Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audun Lysbakken</span> Norwegian politician (born 1977)

Audun Bjørlo Lysbakken is a Norwegian politician who served as the leader of the Norwegian Socialist Left Party from 2012 to 2023. His career in national politics began when he was elected to the Norwegian parliament in 2001. In 2006, he became deputy leader of the Socialist Left Party. He held the post as Minister of Children and Equality in Jens Stoltenberg's second government from October 2009 to March 2012, when he resigned due to a conflict of interest. Under his leadership, the Socialist Left Party had strong gains in its vote share in Parliamentary elections and membership.

Jack Erik Kjuus was a Norwegian far-right politician of the former White Electoral Alliance who was convicted of racism in 1997. The party Kjuus led was a merger between two anti-immigrant parties, Stop the Immigration and Hjelp de fremmede hjem ellers mister vi landet vårt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teddy Air</span> Former regional airline in Geiteryggen, Norway, 1989–2004

Teddy Air AS was a regional airline, based at Skien Airport, Geiteryggen, in Norway. Operating between 1989 and 2004, the company operated Britten-Norman Islander, Embraer 110 and Saab 340 aircraft. The company started by providing a scheduled service between Skien and Oslo in 1990, followed by services to Stavanger in 1993 and Bergen in 1994. In 1996, it won a contract with the Ministry of Transport from Oslo to Fagernes. It was involved in intense competition with other regional airlines, notably Coast Air and Guard Air, following the deregulation of the aviation market. It also had a single international service to Gothenburg, and from 1999 it served Stord Airport, Sørstokken. From 1999, the company was transformed to a virtual airline, which wet leased aircraft from Golden Air. The company ceased operations in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwegian People's Party</span> Political party in Norway

The Norwegian People's Party is a political party in Norway which was founded in 1999. The party is led by Oddbjørn Jonstad, a former local leader of the Progress Party who was expelled from the party following some controversial proposals he made on immigration issues. The party contested the 2001 election in all counties, but in 2003 in only one; a lack of resources led Jonstad himself to head a local Democrats list instead. The NFP gained little support in these elections, and has not contested an election since.

Stop the Immigration was a political party in Norway, founded by Jack Erik Kjuus in 1987. The party was never particularly successful, and its only elected representative was in the Drammen city council, in both 1991 and 1995. The party was succeeded by the White Electoral Alliance in 1995.

Øystein Hedstrøm is a Norwegian politician. He was a Member of Parliament from Østfold for the Progress Party from 1989 to 2005, after which he declined renomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erik Gjems-Onstad</span> Norwegian lawyer, officer, politician

Erik-Ørn Gjems-Onstad, MBE was a Norwegian resistance member, officer, lawyer, sports official, politician, author and anti-immigration activist.

On 2 September 1995, just before the electoral campaign for the 1995 Norwegian local elections, a meeting was held by the Norwegian Association that would turn controversial. The meeting was attended by many nationalist and far-right organisations, but caused controversy because the profiled Progress Party Member of Parliament Øystein Hedstrøm was revealed to have been present and held a speech at the meeting.

The 1994 national convention of the Progress Party of Norway was held from 15 April to 17 April at the hotel Bolkesjø Turisthotell in Bolkesjø, Telemark. It was originally set up to be a normal convention with 157 delegates in a non-election year, but because of mounting antagonism between a traditionalist and a libertarian faction, it became clear some months before the conventions that personal positions could be at stake. The party leader seat, held by Carl I. Hagen since 1978, was up for re-election. The deputy leaders Ellen Wibe and Hans J. Røsjorde was not up for election until 1995, but there were talks about forming a motion of no confidence against Wibe. The political disagreements roughly corresponded to a cleavage between two factions.

Oscar Douglas Hillgaar is a Norwegian politician formerly representing the Progress Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Socialist Left Party national convention</span>

The 2009 national conventionof the Socialist Left Party of Norway was held from March 19–22 at the Scandic Bergen City Hotell and Bergen People's House in the city of Bergen, Hordaland. 208 delegates attended the convention.

Harald Trefall was a Norwegian professor of experimental physics and far-right politician. He graduated from and worked at the University of Bergen, where he focused his work on cosmic radiation, and held a Ph.D. from the University of Oslo. His political career started as a Bergen city councillor for the Progress Party in 1983, until he left the party in 1986 and finished his term as an independent. He worked within various anti-immigration organisations in the late 1980s, and founded the Fatherland Party in 1990. He was a Hordaland county councillor for this new party from 1991 to 1995.

Oddbjørn Jonstad is a Norwegian politician. He started his political career in 1987 as an Oppegård municipal councillor for the Progress Party, and became the leader of the local chapter in 1995. In 1999 he however came in conflict with the party leadership due to some controversial proposals he made on immigration-issues, which eventually led to his expulsion from the party. He then went on to found the Norwegian People's Party, which did not win public representation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helge André Njåstad</span> Norwegian politician

Helge André Njåstad is a Norwegian politician for the Progress Party. He has served as a member of the Storting for Hordaland since 2013. He also served as mayor of Austevoll from 2003 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Valdresekspressen hijacking</span>

The 2013 Valdresekspressen hijacking was a hijacking of an express bus running on the Nor-Way Bussekspress Valdresekspressen route, which took place east of Øvre Årdal on 4 November 2013. The driver and both passengers were killed.

Air Stord A/S was an airline which operated between 1990 and 1999. Based at Stord Airport, Sørstokken, it operated a fleet of Beechcraft Super King Air and later Dornier 328 aircraft.

References

  1. 1 2 "Allsidig partiflora: Fedrelandspartiet". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). 21 May 1995. p. 16. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  2. 1 2 Andreassen, Thorleif (8 February 1993). "Nyttig bok: Det skjedde mye politikken i 1992". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 10. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  3. ↑ Indrøy, Rune (9 November 1990). "- Landenes borgere må gis særrettigheter". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 10. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  4. ↑ Olsen, Kurt-Johnny (24 September 1988). "Partiet Stopp Innvandringen vil inn på Stortinget: Kjentfolk stiller til 89-valget". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 8. Retrieved 4 March 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. ↑ Indrøy, Rune (29 November 1990). "Bispe-kritikk mot kristen avis". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 3. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  6. ↑ Vogt, Helen (16 September 1997). "Ingen valgsuksess for innvandringsmotstanderne". Norwegian News Agency (in Norwegian). Oslo.
  7. ↑ "Trefall har gått av som leder i Fedrelandspartiet". Norwegian News Agency (in Norwegian). Bergen. 3 January 1994.
  8. ↑ Storvik, Olav Trygge; Salvesen, Geir (7 September 1995). "Hedstrøm ba om 200 000". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 4. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  9. ↑ Hegtun, Halvor (7 September 1995). "Fr.p. er nesten halvert i måling". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 4. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
  10. 1 2 "Tilbakegang for rasistene". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). 13 September 1995. p. 6. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  11. ↑ "Fedrelandspartiet tar avstand fra Hvit Valgallianse". Norwegian News Agency (in Norwegian). 15 September 1995.
  12. ↑ Alstadheim, Kjetil Bragli (16 September 1995). "Krever at rasismeloven må tas i bruk". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 4. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  13. ↑ "Ingen tror på "Jonstad-effekten"". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). 19 August 2000.
  14. ↑ "Hordaland fronter nasjonalistallianse". Bergens Tidende . 18 August 2000. p. 5.
  15. ↑ "- Ytre høyre samles i Demokratene". Norwegian News Agency (in Norwegian). Oslo. 24 May 2005.
  16. ↑ "Småpartiene". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). 21 July 1997. p. 4. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  17. 1 2 3 "Fra Fedrelandspartiets prinsipprogram 2001". PolSys (in Norwegian). Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  18. ↑ "Innvandringsmotstandere inn i Drammen og Karmøy" (in Norwegian). Norwegian News Agency. 10 September 1991.
  19. ↑ "Krever 300.000 fra Bergensavisen". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). 13 April 1994. p. 2.
  20. 1 2 Midtbø, John (11 October 1999). "...nå er han medlem i Fedrelandspartiet". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  21. ↑ Henden, Ole Eivind; Berg, Kjetil (24 October 2005). "- Jeg skjøt Quisling". Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  22. ↑ "Fedrelandspartiet". Samfunnsveven (in Norwegian). Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  23. ↑ Breian, Åshild (3 September 1993). "Endte i slagsmål". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 4. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.