Norway’s Conservative Party Leader Steps Down

(MENAFN) Former Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg declared on Friday that she will step down as head of the Conservative Party after more than twenty years in charge, stating she must “take responsibility” for the party’s disappointing election outcome.

Addressing the media after a party leadership session, Solberg revealed she has requested the central committee to organize an extraordinary congress in 2026 to appoint her replacement, a national broadcaster reported.

“When Hoyre (Conservative Party) is to lift itself toward future elections, it will not be under my leadership,” Solberg told journalists.

“I have therefore asked the central board to call a national meeting in 2026, and at that meeting, Hoyre will choose a new leadership.”

Her announcement follows Hoyre securing 14.6% of the vote in the parliamentary elections, a decline of 5.7 percentage points from the last vote, marking one of the party’s weakest performances in recent years.

“That is something both we and I must take responsibility for,” Solberg added, emphasizing that she will maintain her leadership role until the congress in February.

Solberg, 63, has directed Hoyre since 2004 and served as Norway’s prime minister from 2013 to 2021, the country’s second-longest premiership.

She highlighted her government’s eight-year term as a significant achievement in her career.

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