Oslo, Feb 4 (IANS): The Norwegian Labour party is governing alone for the first time in 25 years, with the country's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store presenting his new government on Tuesday.
"I stand here today with the first purely Labour Party government in 25 years," Store said at a press conference held at the Royal Palace Square in Oslo. "We are ready to govern Norway in a very challenging time ahead."
The government transition ceremony was held at the Royal Palace, where Store and his newly appointed ministers were introduced.
A key highlight of the reshuffle is the return of Jens Stoltenberg, former Prime Minister and Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as Norway's finance minister.
The Centre Party officially withdrew from government last Thursday. Its parliamentary leader, Marit Arnstad, stated that the party would adopt a "factual and constructive" approach in opposition, but also promised to be critical when necessary.
"We will particularly scrutinize the government's energy policies and certain aspects of its climate strategy," Arnstad said, Xinhua news agency reported.
The opposition leader has raised concerns over the government's stability. Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg argued that the political shift would not bring about a new direction.
"Although Labour is bringing in new faces, their policies remain unchanged. With a weaker position in Parliament, they will have to negotiate with both the Centre Party and the Socialist Left Party, leading to more unpredictable governance," Solberg told Norwegian news agency NTB.
Although Norway is not an EU member, it has partially followed EU energy policies. Store had pushed to implement the EU's "Clean Energy for All Europeans" package, which the Centre Party opposed, particularly rejecting three directives on renewable energy, overall energy efficiency, and energy efficiency in buildings.
Store maintained that the directives would benefit Norwegian businesses, have no impact on electricity prices, and would not cede sovereignty to Brussels. Instead, he argued, their implementation would strengthen Norway's ties with the EU, especially as tensions rise over a potential trade war between the bloc and the United States under President Donald Trump.