Norway Democrats
The Norway Democrats (Bokmål: Norgesdemokratene Nynorsk: Noregsdemokratane, ND) is an anti-globalist and national conservative populist political party in Norway without parliamentary representation. The party was originally founded as the Democrats (Bokmål: Demokratene Nynorsk: Demokratane, DEM), and it bore this name from 2002 to 2010, and again from 2018 to 2023. From 2010 to 2018, it was known as the Democrats in Norway (Bokmål: Demokratene i Norge Nynorsk: Demokratane i Noreg, DiN).
Norway Democrats Norgesdemokratene | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Geir Ugland Jacobsen |
| Founded | 24 August 2002 |
| Split from | Progress Party |
| Headquarters | Kristian IV gate 85 4614 Kristiansand S |
| Youth wing | Youth Democrats |
| Ideology | Norwegian nationalism National conservatism Social conservatism Right-wing populism Anti-immigration Euroscepticism |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Colours | Blue Red |
| Storting | 0 / 169 |
| County Councils | 0 / 728 |
| Municipal Councils | 10 / 10,781 |
| Website | |
| demokratene.no | |
The party was founded in 2002, chiefly by former members of the Progress Party led by Vidar Kleppe. The Norway Democrats have a conservative, Norwegian nationalist-oriented profile, and a centrist profile on economic issues; key issues are raising the minimal state pension, removal of toll stations, opposition to the European Union and a popular vote on Norway's membership in EEC, and opposition to immigration. It considers its values to be based on Christianity and Norwegian heritage.
The party has never been represented in the Storting (Norwegian parliament) except for being joined by independent MP Jan Simonsen in 2002, thus effectively being represented until the parliamentary term expired in 2005. The party reported to have 3,500 registered members in 2013. In the 2011 local elections, the party got eight representatives in five municipal councils, and one representation in a county council (Vest-Agder).
In the 2019 local elections, the party gained popularity and became the third political force in the city council of Kristiansand with 13.4% of the votes. The party underwent another name change in 2023, adopting its current name and logo. The same year, party founder Vidar Kleppe and all the party's elected representatives in Kristiansand and Southern Norway were expelled from the party after Kleppe criticised the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in opposition to the party's decision to oppose weapons support to Ukraine. Kleppe stated that he cannot accept that the party should be associated with Putinism.
The party leader Geir Ugland Jacobsen who is a contributor to the Russian propaganda channel RT, has transformed the party into a pro-Russian voice in the political debate. The party's website refers to Ukraine as the "Kyiv regime" and accuses the West of warmongering in Ukraine. In the 2023 local elections the party received only 0.3% of the votes in Kristiansand, its previous stronghold.