(Bloomberg) -- Norway's election is turning into a real race to the finish line, with the two biggest parties -- Labor and the Conservatives -- running neck and neck. But there are also seven other serious contenders for seats in parliament.
The single chamber, known as the Storting and located in Oslo, has 169 members elected every four years. Proportional representation is used to assign 150 seats, while the remaining 19 are doled out to political parties that overcome a 4 percent threshold. Coalition and minority governments are frequent, with Labor the only party to have governed alone for a full term since 1945 (a Conservative government led by Kare Willoch in the early 1980s collapsed after less than two years).
Here's a guide to the main parties vying for seats in the Sept. 11 parliamentary elections:
Labor Party (Arbeiderpartiet)
Ideology: social democrat
Leader: Jonas Gahr Store (former foreign minister)
Campaign priorities: reverse tax cuts, defend the welfare state
Current seats: 55 (30.8% of national vote in 2013 election)
Projected seats based on Sept. 6 poll-of-polls: 44 (26.8%)
Key fact: Norway's biggest party since 1927
Conservative Party (Hoyre)
Ideology: conservative
Leader: Erna Solberg (outgoing prime minister)
Campaign priorities: cut taxes, reduce economy's dependency on oil
Current seats: 48 (26.8%)
Projected seats: 48 (26.8%)
Key fact: Norway's second-oldest party
Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)
Ideology: libertarian/nationalist
Leader: Siv Jensen (outgoing finance minister)
Campaign priorities: cut taxes, curb immigration, spend oil money on infrastructure
Current seats: 29 (16.3%)
Projected seats: 28 (14.7%)
Key fact: founded as an anti-tax movement in 1973
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)
Ideology: conservative/christian
Leader: Knut Arild Hareide (former environment minister)
Campaign priorities: funding for stay-at-home moms, against abortion
Current seats: 10 (5.6%)
Projected seats: 8 (4.6%)
Key fact: provided parliamentary backing to outgoing government
Center Party (Senterpartiet)
Ideology: agrarian/nationalist
Leader: Trygve Slagsvold Vedum
Campaign priorities: champion farmers' rights; devolve power to regions/renegotiate ties with EU
Current seats: 10 (5.5%)
Projected seats: 18 (10.2%)
Key fact: Norway's leading protectionist, anti-European party
Liberal Party (Venstre)
Ideology: liberal/centrist
Leader: Trine Skei Grande
Campaign priorities: education, small businesses, environment
Current seats: 9 (5.2%)
Projected seats: 8 (4.3%)
Key fact: Norway's oldest party, established in 1884
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)
Ideology: socialist
Leader: Audun Lysbakken
Campaign priorities: tax the rich; abolish private schools and nursing homes
Current seats: 7 (4.1%)
Projected seats: 10 (5.7%)
Key fact: Funded in 1973 to oppose EU and NATO membership
Green Party (Miljopartiet de Gronne)
Ideology: environmentalism
Leader: Rasmus Hansson and Une Aina Bastholm (acting spokespeople)
Campaign priorities: stop offshore oil and gas exploration
Current seats: 1 (2.8%)
Projected seats: 2 (3.7%)
Key fact: defines itself as independent of either political blocs
Red Party (Rodt)
Ideology: socialist
Leader: Bjornar Moxnes
Campaign priorities: nationalize large companies, cap annual salaries at $190,000
Current seats: 0 (1.1%)
Projected seats: 2 (3.4%)
Key fact: founded in 2007 with the aim of replacing capitalism with socialism
To contact the reporters on this story: Nick Rigillo in Copenhagen at nrigillo@bloomberg.net, Sveinung Sleire in Oslo at ssleire1@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jonas Bergman at jbergman@bloomberg.net.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
